Wire-making Plant Cited Following Employee Injury

April 3, 2001
OSHA cited Omega Wire Inc., Williamstown, N.Y., and proposed\r\npenalties of $78,000 against the company for violations of OSHA standards.

OSHA cited Omega Wire Inc., Williamstown, N.Y., and proposed penalties of $78,000 against the company for four alleged repeat violations, 16 alleged serious violations and three other-than-serious violations of OSHA standards.

According to OSHA the action results from an investigation conducted from Oct. 30 through Feb. 23, following an accident at the plant in which an employee was seriously injured when her hair became entangled in a wire buncher.

The alleged serious violations for which the employer was cited included:

  • failure to guard a rotating die holder on a wire buncher;
  • failure to assess the need for personal protective equipment such as gloves and eye protection;
  • failure to provide a written respirator program, medical exams and fit tests for employees who were required to wear respirators as part of their job;
  • failure to provide handrails on stairs;
  • failure to label clearly the controller for a 3 ton hoist;
  • failure to provide guards on saws, projecting shaft ends of drive motors, projecting keys on rotating shafts and other machines;
  • failure to adequately guard electrical parts.

The serious violations carry a total proposed penalty of $35,500.

OSHA also cited Omega Wire for failure to provide strain relief on electrical cords, to guard on electrical circuit breaker panels, to provide emergency eyewash facilities and failure to determine the capacity of lifting devices, four alleged repeat violations carrying a total proposed penalty of $37,700.

Omega Wire was previously cited for these conditions at a plant in Jordan, N.Y., in October 1999.

The company was also cited for failing to adequately maintain the required log of injuries and illnesses, failure to label circuit breakers for what they controlled and failure to repair damaged insulation on an electrical cord.

Omega Wire has until April 13 to contest the citations and proposed penalties.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

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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