Cove Four Slide and Stamping Co., a New York-based metal fabricating company, is contesting two alleged willful violations, 24 alleged serious violations and more than $125,000 in fines from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation following an October accident at the plant.
At press time, a spokesperson from the OSHA area office said the agency "is working with Cove Four's safety and health people to address the citations." No target date for resolution has been set.
The seven-month investigation was initiated after a worker's fingers were severed while performing maintenance on a wire-forming machine. Investigators allege willful violations in the company's failure to properly prevent workers' hands from entering the point of operation on the wire-forming machines and to prevent accidental start-up on wire-forming machines. Investigators also allege lockout-tagout, employee training and scheduled inspections violations.
OSHA also cited Cove Four for not having a written hazard communication program or a hearing conservation program, inadequate railing on the stair platform, not keeping exit doors unlocked and unblocked, having an uninspected automatic sprinkler system and having a forklift truck with an unaligned gas cylinder. For these violations, the proposed fines totaled $45,700.