Citations in Amputation Case Upheld
A judge has ordered American Recycling & Manufacturing Co. Inc. to pay $154K in fines
Judge Phillips has issued a decision affirming citations handed out to American Recycling & Manufacturing Co., Inc., related to an amputation incident in 2012 when an employee lost his left hand after a co-worker stepped on an unprotected foot pedal and activated a pop-up saw.
An investigation into the incident revealed that both the saw and the pedal were not properly shielded to avoid accidental contact. The company contested this citation along with others to the OSHA Review Commission.
The judge found that American Recycling received a number of complaints from employees about the hazards of the saw and the foot pedal and failed to take action.
"This decision upholds our findings that conditions at this workplace endangered employees and that two of those violations -- those involving the saw and the foot pedal -- contributed to the preventable loss of an employee's hand. It's up to this employer to take and maintain effective corrective action so that these hazards are eliminated and future injuries are prevented," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York.