OSHA found five violations at this company. Five doesn’t sound like a lot, but the associated fines totaled $131,200. The reason: They were all failure-to-abate or repeat citations.
Specialty Metals Processing, Inc., in Stow, Ohio, has received three failure-to-abate and two repeat violations involving conditions at its machine tool manufacturing plant.
OSHA says Specialty failed to abate three previously cited violations. In February 2012, it failed to administer a continuing hearing conservation program for workers exposed to noise exceeding the time-weighted average for eight hours. In May 2012, the company failed to develop adequate energy control procedures and conduct periodic inspections to ensure workers followed those procedures correctly.
The failure-to-abate citations alone cost the company $84,000.
Specialty also didn’t provide OSHA with the required abatement documentation for the three citations.
OSHA also issued two repeat citations for failing to train workers on the purpose and use of energy control procedures and not training them on the general principles of fire extinguisher use when they were first employed and annually thereafter. Similar violations were cited in February 2012.
Specialty has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC).
Failure-to-abate penalties are calculated by multiplying a daily penalty times the number of days the violation remained unabated.
“Employers who are cited for repeat and failure-to-abate citations demonstrate a lack of commitment to worker safety and health,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland.
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