Imagine this: A worker is seriously burned, but the company doesn’t call for emergency help and waits a half hour to take the injured person to a medical facility. The worker died of his injuries just weeks later.
OSHA has fined Raani Corp. of Bedford Park, IL, $473,000 in connection with the employee’s death. The company was turned over to OSHA by a local medical examiner.
On Nov. 17, 2011, a worker suffered burns when hot liquid erupted from an open tank hatch.
An investigation determined the company didn’t call 911 for emergency help and didn’t wash the worker in an available safety shower. The worker was taken to a local occupational health clinic in a co-worker’s vehicle more than 30 minutes after he was injured.
The worker died from his injuries on Dec. 8, 2011.
OSHA issued six willful citations, including failure to:
- use available emergency care
- provide workers with the proper protective clothing and train them regarding its use
- provide eye, face and hand protection when handling high temperature liquid and hazardous chemicals, and
- provide hazard communication training to workers exposed to hazardous chemicals.
Workers at the facility were found wearing medical-grade latex gloves which aren’t insulated for use with high temperature liquids or the majority of chemicals at the Raani plant.
Another seven serious violations involve failure to:
- perform a personal protective equipment assessment
- correct an improperly guarded platform
- provide visible quick drenching facilities within the immediate work area
- train workers about the use of powered industrial vehicles
- enclose live parts of electrical equipment
- use proper safety precautions when transferring flammable liquids, and
- maintain dry, clean floors.
OSHA also issued one other-than-serious violation for failure to report the fatality to federal authorities.
Due to the willful categorization of some of the violations, OSHA placed Raani Corp. in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Now the company will face mandatory follow-up inspections.
