Nov. 15, 2012
A Berlin, Wisconsin, iron foundry has been issued nine citations and fined more than $56,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for safety violations. According to an article from workerscompensation.com, several violations were repeat offenses.
In Aug. 2010, OSHA conducted an inspection at the facility and found two safety violations. The first involved a grinder that did not have a protective guard in place. The other was for failure to cover an electrical switch box.
This May, OSHA conducted a follow-up inspection and found the safety issues had not been addressed by management. Furthermore, investigators discovered seven additional safety issues, including:
- unguarded open-sided platforms,
- employees working without fall protection equipment,
- unsafe crane conditions,
- and failure to have proper guards in place on moving equipment.
In addition, electrical safety was found to be compromised after inspectors discovered puddles of water near electrical equipment and excessive dust on machinery. Inspectors stated the company had failed to take down the faulty equipment.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970 states that employers have an obligation to provide employees with a safe work environment and failure to do so may be considered negligent.
The Appleton personal injury attorneys with Sigman, Janssen, Sewall, Pitz & Burkham understand that workplace accidents often lead to a workers’ compensation claim, and encourage anyone who has been injured in a work-related accident to discuss your legal options with an Appleton workers’ compensation lawyer immediately.