Stanadyne Corp. faces significant fines for 52 alleged serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The fines and citations follow safety and health inspections conducted under OSHA's Site Specific Targeting Program, which focuses inspections on workplaces with higher than average illness and injury rates.
"The proposed fines of $143,650 reflect the breadth and variety of the hazards found in this inspection and the Labor Department's commitment to strong, fair and effective enforcement to protect America's workers," said U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The safety inspection identified numerous instances of unguarded machinery, including woodworking equipment, mechanical power presses, belts, pulleys, gears and saws; lack of fall protection; electrical violations; improper storage of compressed gas cylinders; no annual training on using fire extinguishers to fight incipient stage fires; uninspected slings; failure to evaluate the performance of forklift operators; and failing to determine a forklift's lifting capacity after it had been altered. A total of $64,150 in fines is proposed.
The health inspection addressed deficiencies in the company's hearing conservation program, process safety management, respiratory protection program, confined space entry program, hazardous waste operations, and chemical hygiene program; inadequate precautions to protect employees against lead and blood borne pathogen hazards; and failure to supply workers with required personal protective equipment. These items account for $79,500 of the proposed fines.
OSHA defines a serious violation as one in which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.
Stanadyne Corp. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
