Remington Firearms Shot with $170K in Fines
Thursday, December 1st, 201135 Serious Safety and Health Violations Discovered
Remington Arms Co. Inc. was cited by OSHA for 35 alleged serious violations of workplace safety and health standards at its Ilion, NY manufacturing plant. The firearms manufacturer faces a total of $170,000 in proposed penalties for a variety of mechanical, electrical, and chemical hazards identified during inspections by OSHA’s Syracuse Area Office.
“Left uncorrected, these conditions expose the plant’s workers to electrocution, falls, burns, lacerations, amputation, crushing and “struck-by” injuries, as well as exposure to hazardous substances and being caught in operating or unintentionally energized machinery,” said Christopher Adams, OSHA’s area director for central New York. “For the safety and health of these workers, this employer must ensure that these hazards are corrected and take effective steps to prevent their recurrence.
“Specifically, OSHA found violations involving a lack of personal protective equipment; accumulations of toxic substances lead and cadmium on surfaces in the plant; food and beverages stored and consumed at cadmium-contaminated work stations; failing to provide workers with training and information on lead and cadmium; and not determining cadmium exposure levels. The inspection also identified numerous electrical hazards and instances of unguarded moving machine parts; improper storage and transfer of flammable liquids; a lack of procedures to lock out machines’ power sources to prevent their unintended startup during maintenance; unguarded openings and defective ladders; defective powered industrial trucks and untrained drivers; inadequate fire extinguisher training and availability; unlabeled permit-required confined spaces; no continuous, effective extermination program for vermin; unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals; and several exit deficiencies including a locked exit door, obstructed exit routes, umarked exits, and non-functioning emergency and exit lighting. 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.
“An effective illness and injury prevention program in which employers and employees work together to identify and eliminate hazards is one way of preventing initial and recurring workplace hazards such as these,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional director in New York.
The citations can be viewed at
http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/RemingtonArms_314352477_1104_11.pdf
and http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/RemingtonArms_314352329_1104_11.pdf


Top Stories
If your company primarily engages in the manufacturing, fabricating, or forging of metal products, you may be subject to additional EPA requirements that go into effect for existing facilities on July 25, 2011. Companies should examine their processes if they use or process metal materials which contain cadmium, chromium, lead, or nickel equal to or in excess of 0.1% by weight of the metal. Metal materials containing manganese greater than or equal to 1.0% by weight of the metal are also subject to the requirements.