The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently cited Crown Battery Manufacturing Co. in Fremont, Ohio for three health violations relating to exposing employees to lead hazards. The company faces penalties totaling $97,000 following an inspection according to an OSHA report.
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“Repeatedly failing to take basic safety precautions to protect workers from known workplace hazards such as lead is unacceptable,” said Kimberly Nelson, OSHA’s area director in Toledo. “Employers are responsible for knowing what hazards exist in their workplaces and ensuring workers are not exposed to risks that could result in injury or death.” (WCxKit)
One willful violation, with a proposed penalty of $55,000, was cited for allowing employees to dry sweep in areas where lead is used and processed. OSHA standards require lead to be removed by a vacuum with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter or other equally effective method. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
One repeat violation, with a proposed penalty of $35,000, involves multiple incidents of overexposing employees to lead and lacking engineering controls for lead exposure. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. Prior to this most recent inspection, Crown Battery Manufacturing was inspected by OSHA 21 times since 1974, and issued 23 final order citations for violations of the lead standard and four for lack of engineering controls due to lead overexposure. Those four citations were issued in 1980, 1981, 2005 and 2009.
One serious violation, with a proposed penalty of $7,000, was cited for failing to test the under-the-hook lifting device and mark its capacity. The device is used to lift lead weighing approximately 330 pounds and not testing or marking the device exposed employees to struck-by hazards. (WCxKit)
A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected].
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