OSHA: Safety Hazards Endanger Employees at Mississippi Plant

April 12, 2002
Failing to protect employees from safety and health hazards at a Lumberton, Miss., plant may cost Custom Precast Products Inc. $87,750 in penalties according to OSHA.

Failing to protect employees from safety and health hazards at a Lumberton, Miss., plant may cost Custom Precast Products Inc. $87,750 in penalties according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

OSHA inspectors visited the site, which manufactures concrete sewer products, on Oct. 30, 2001. Investigators found that the company failed to service the overhead crane regularly. When workers did perform repair work on the crane, it was not locked out to prevent it from starting inadvertently during the maintenance operation. OSHA cited Custom Precast for two willful violations of safety standards and proposed penalties totaling $66,000.

"This employer showed intentional disregard for worker safety by placing employees in danger of being hit or crushed by overhead crane equipment while performing normal maintenance and repair services," said Clyde Payne, OSHA's Jackson, Miss., area director. "There is no excuse for failing to protect workers, particularly when company officials are aware of OSHA's lockout/tagout procedures."

Twenty-one additional safety and health violations were found, with penalties totaling $21,750 for serious hazardous conditions, defined as those that the employer knew, or should have known, could result in injury or death.

The serious citations included: a distance between ladder rungs of more than 12 inches; employees making repairs to a crane from a backhoe's elevated bucket; training not provided to forklift operators; locks not provided for a lockout/tagout program; no inspection program for cranes; using a crane with defective brakes; storage of unsecured, combustible oxygen and acetylene cylinders together; failing to provide weatherproof enclosures for electrical panels, and no written hazard communication program.

Custom Precast Products Inc., which employs 42 workers at the Lumberton facility, has 15 working days to contest OSHA's citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

edited by Sandy Smith ([email protected]

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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