Establishing an open-door policy for employees to bring safety problems to management’s attention can be a real cost-saver: In this case, it might have saved thousands of dollars in OSHA fines.

OSHA has cited manufacturer Hobbs Bonded Fiber in Waco, TX, with 29 serious violations and $161,100 in penalties. The safety agency inspected Hobbs last December after receiving an employee complaint about unsafe working conditions.

The violations include failing to:

• develop and implement a respiratory program
• provide training for employees entering confined spaces where an oxygen deficiency may exist
• develop a plan to avoid employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens
• provide an area for employees to wash their eyes
• ensure that compressed oxygen and acetylene gas cylinders were stored separately
• provide hazard communication training to employees working with hazardous and toxic chemicals
• adequately guard rotating belts, pulleys, chains and sprockets from pinch points and at the point of operation, and
• provide covers on junction, outlet and transformer boxes.

Hobbs has 15 business days to decide whether to contest the fines.

Tags: bloodborne pathogens, confined spaces, respiratory program, training, worker complaint