More than $146,000 in Proposed Penalties

OSHA cited American Felt & Filter Co. for 35 alleged violations of workplace safety and health standards at its New Windsor plant. The company, which manufactures woolen felt for a variety of products, faces a total of $146,300 in proposed fines following an inspection by OSHA’s Albany Area Office.

“Our inspections identified numerous safety and health hazards, including several similar to those cited during earlier OSHA inspections of this facility,” said Arthur Dube, the agency’s acting area director in Albany.” Left uncorrected, these hazards expose employees to possible electrocution, crushing and struck-by injuries, being caught in moving machine parts, hearing loss, falls, eye and hand injuries, asbestos and lead.”

In addition to identifying machine guarding and electrical hazards, OSHA found that the plant failed to inspect cranes and lifting devices; remove an unsafe powered industrial truck from service; properly stack materials; monitor noise levels, and test and train employees exposed to excessive noise levels; provide first-aid supplies, eye and hand protection, and an emergency eyewash; ensure appropriate respiratory protection and other safeguards for employees exposed to lead; perform asbestos exposure monitoring; identify and label asbestos-containing materials; and provide training for employees on asbestos hazards. These conditions resulted in citations for 32 serious violations carrying $118,580 in penalties. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Three repeat violations carrying $27,720 in fines involve unguarded lathes and failure to implement an effective respiratory protection program. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. OSHA cited the plant for similar hazards in 2007.

“One means of preventing new and recurring hazards is to implement and maintain an effective illness and injury prevention program in which management and employees work together to proactively identify and eliminate hazardous conditions,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York.

The citations can be viewed at

http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AmericanFeltandFilterCo-315750224-12282011.pdf  http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AmericanFeltandFilterCo-313764250-12282011.pdf

OSHA fines employer more than $1.2 million for exposing workers to asbestos hazards without protection

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued penalties of $1,247,400 to AMD Industries Inc. in Cicero after five unprotected and untrained workers allegedly were required to conduct asbestos removal exposing them to this cancer-causing material.

The company was issued 19 willful and eight serious health citations following an OSHA inspection at its facilities in December 2010, in response to a referral from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

“AMD failed in its duty to protect the health and safety of its workers,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Such disregard will not be tolerated by the Labor Department. No one should risk serious illness or death to earn a paycheck.”

OSHA investigators found that AMD Industries had commissioned a safety audit of its Cicero facility in 2002, which uncovered the presence of asbestos-containing materials on boilers, heating units and connected piping. In November 2010, the company began an asbestos removal project using in-house and untrained workers. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency became aware of the work and asked the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to proceed with an enforcement action for the improper removal, handling and disposal of asbestos-containing material. An agreed order was entered into by the company to implement a program to remediate the asbestos contamination. Workers allegedly were exposed to materials containing 20-50 percent asbestos.

“Asbestos exposure can be deadly,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “AMD Industries knew it was assigning workers to asbestos removal work and failed to take the most basic safety precautions. This employer did not provide protective respirators or even warn the workers of the risk to their health from removing the material.”

OSHA issued 15 willful citations, with proposed penalties of $945,000, for the employer’s failures to provide the employees engaged in the hazardous work with the proper training, and protective clothing and equipment. Proper protective clothing is required to make sure employees do not carry asbestos fibers outside of the facility and into their cars and homes.

Additionally, AMD Industries was fined $252,000 for four willful violations for the following alleged failures: to identify or inform workers of the location and quantity of asbestos; to monitor airborne concentrations of asbestos; to use high-efficiency particulate air vacuums and wet methods to control the dust; and to promptly and properly dispose of asbestos-contaminated waste.

OSHA also issued eight serious citations, with proposed fines of $50,400, for failing to implement a respirator protection program; failing to use engineering controls and work practices for Class I asbestos work; not conducting asbestos work in regulated areas; and failing to provide hygiene facilities for workers removing the dangerous material. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

A copy of the citations is available at http://www.osha.gov/dep/citations/AMD-Industries.pdf*.

This investigation falls under the requirements of OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program. Initiated in the spring of 2010, the program focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dep/svep-directive.pdf*.

OSHA issued citations to Cambria Contracting Inc. for 11 alleged willful violations of the OSHA construction asbestos standard for failing to train and protect its workers at a Buffalo jobsite. The Lockport, N.Y., demolition contractor faces a total of $484,000 in proposed penalties.

“These significant penalties reflect the fact that this employer, an asbestos contractor with extensive knowledge of the OSHA standards that govern asbestos removal and handling, chose not to follow these standards and put its workers, including young, inexperienced college students, in harm’s way,” said acting Assistant Secretary for OSHA Jordan Barab.

OSHA found that several Cambria Contracting workers, who were cleaning up debris at the former AM&A department store warehouse on Washington Avenue, had not been trained in asbestos hazards and how to protect themselves. The workers also lacked proper respirators and protective clothing, and had not been informed of the presence of asbestos at the site. In addition, the employer failed to determine the asbestos exposure level and to establish a regulated work area for asbestos removal and handling. It also did not use vacuums with HEPA filters to collect debris but used methods to move debris with asbestos-containing material that typically can cause asbestos to be released into the air.

“This employer knew that training and other safeguards, which are well-known in the industry, were required, yet chose not to provide them,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s New York regional administrator. “That is unacceptable and needlessly placed the health of these workers at risk.”

“Asbestos is well recognized as a health hazard since inhalation of asbestos fibers may lead to lung cancer and other diseases,” said Arthur Dube, OSHA’s Buffalo area director. “As exposures frequently occur during renovation and demolition work, we strongly urge contractors to ensure that their workers are adequately trained and protected against asbestos hazards.”

Detailed information on asbestos is available on OSHA’s Web site at:

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/index.html

and http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/asbestos/construction.html

Top Stories