A fatal incident involving an employee who got caught inside a mold machine led to OSHA citations for a forklift parts manufacturer.
Inspectors determined that the worker’s death could have been prevented by following OSHA’s lockout/tagout standards.
The incident occurred Aug. 31, 2023 when a second shift production supervisor attempted to adjust the plastic film on a mold machine used to make forklift counterweights. The machine cycled and pinned the supervisor between the moving components inside.
OSHA found that the company repeatedly exposed its workers to safety hazards by failing to de-energize and lock out automated mold machines while they were undergoing maintenance and cleaning.
Fine: $95,981
Company: Cullman Casting Corp., Cullman, Alabama
Business: Iron foundry
Reasons for fine:
Nine serious violations for failing to:
- develop procedures for the control of potentially hazardous energy
- ensure energy control procedures contained a specific statement on the intended use of the procedure
- clearly outline the steps to be used for controlling potentially hazardous energy
- address the steps for placement, removal and transfer of lockout devices
- clearly outline the requirements for testing a machine to verify the effectiveness of lockout devices
- conduct periodic inspections of energy control procedures
- train authorized employees in the recognition of hazardous energy sources
- ensure that authorized employees affixed lockout/tagout devices to each energy isolating device
- provide one or more methods of machine guarding to protect employees from nip points and points of operation
