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

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