OSHA Busts Auto Parts Manufacturer Following Crushing Injury
The agency's inspection was initiated Nov. 2 based on a complaint alleging that a worker's finger was crushed when a mold being lifted by a remote-controlled crane swung into his hand.
OSHA has cited International Automotive Components LLC with 10 serious safety violations at its Huron, Ohio, manufacturing facility. The inspection was initiated Nov. 2 based on a complaint alleging that a worker's finger was crushed when a mold being lifted by a remote-controlled crane swung into his hand. Proposed fines based on this latest inspection total $59,500.
"International Automotive Components has a responsibility to follow established safety standards, and to ensure that employees are protected from hazards and properly trained," said Kim Nelson, OSHA's area director in Toledo. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so."
Violations related to the incident include failing to make sure employees did not perform tasks under suspended loads and were kept clear of loads about to be lifted by cranes. Additional violations include failing to provide employees working on presses with fall protection and a safe means of access to the molds, lock out the energy sources of machinery during maintenance, provide a backrest extension on forklifts, and guard a pinch point created by rotating parts. Finally, improper wiring methods exposed workers to electrical hazards.
Headquartered in Southfield, Mich., International Automotive Components has more than 12,000 workers in North America and six other Ohio facilities. This inspection was the first at the Huron location, but the company's Sidney, Ohio, and Canton, Ohio, sites have been inspected a combined seven times since 2007, resulting in citations for 22 violations.