OSHA says this company “has shown a pattern of defiance” toward safety standards since 2000. When you add the latest OSHA fines to the company’s previous ones, the total come to more than $1 million.
At Lloyd Industries’ Montgomeryville, PA, location last July, a die dropped on a worker’s right hand, resulting in the amputation of three fingers.
OSHA inspected and issued $822,000 in fines for 13 willful, 4 serious and 7 other-than-serious violations.
Six of the willful violations were for missing guards on six machines. Another three willful violations were per instance fines for failure to obtain baseline hearing tests for employees.
Yet another willful fine was a General Duty Clause violation for allowing employees to operate a press brake with an unprotected foot pedal actuator. OSHA says this exposed workers to amputation hazards.
The company was also cited for electrical hazards and recordkeeping violations.
Lloyd was also placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program which mandates follow-up inspections.
OSHA says Lloyd has had about 40 serious injuries since 2000, including serious cuts as well as crushed, fractured, dislocated and amputated fingers.
Lloyd employs about 70 workers at the Montgomeryville location and 25 at a facility in Florida.
The company manufactures the ventilation, duct and fire safety products used at places including New York’s Chrysler Building, the Philadelphia International Airport, and the stadiums for the New York Yankees and Baltimore Ravens.
In 2009, OSHA fined Lloyd $140,760 for violations at its Montgomeryville location for failure to provide elements of a hearing program, exposing employees to noise levels above 85 dBA and not guarding point of operation on rivet machines.
“William Lloyd and Lloyd Industries are serial violators of OSHA safety standards,” said OSHA administrator David Michaels, “and their workers have paid the price. For 15 years, they have repeatedly put their employees at risk of serious injuries. This must stop now.”
Lloyd has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
