OSHA Says Safety Mechanisms Would Have Prevented Worker's Death
Endicott Clay Products has been cited for three serious safety violations
Endicott Clay Products has been cited for three serious safety violations after a worker was fatally crushed in a machine in June.
An OSHA inspection found that the worker was crushed by a brick setting machine when it operated as he was retrieving bricks that had been drying in the kiln. The machine lacked the required safety guards.
OSHA also found inadequate safety guards on belts that exposed workers to danger, as well as missing railings on the brick setting machine platform which exposed workers to fall hazards.
"This was a sad and preventable incident. Machine safety guards would have prevented this worker's death," said Jeff Funke, OSHA's area director in Omaha. "Employers must protect their workers from operating parts of machinery by installing and maintaining safety mechanisms that prevent them from coming in contact with operating parts of machinery."