OSHA levies hefty $518,520 fine on All-Feed Processing and packaging Inc. for willfully violating OSHA standards.

GALVA, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited All-Feed Processing and Packaging Inc. in Galva, Ill., with alleged serious, repeat, willful and failure to abate citations of federal workplace safety and health standards. Proposed fines total $518,520.

OSHA began its safety and health inspections at the pet food research and packaging facility in response to a fire in April that sent three workers to a local hospital. The resulting inspection revealed nine alleged willful, four serious, two repeat and two failure to abate violations.

Hazards identified as willful violations addressed the lack of explosion prevention systems for combustible dust, inadequate housekeeping where dust could accumulate, insufficient personal protective equipment, training deficiencies, failure to lockout energy sources during maintenance and other lockout/tagout issues, and the lack of warning signs where combustible dust was being processed. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

Serious violations included fall hazards and issues pertaining to employees entering or working in confined spaces where a variety of hazards could be present. A serious citation is issued 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.

The repeat violation cites the company’s failure to compile a list of hazardous chemicals used at the plant and the failure to include such a list in the hazardous communication program, and for the lack of proper employee training. The company had been previously cited for these violations and had agreed to correct the problems but had not done so. The failure to abate violations included use of flexible cords as a substitute for fixed wiring and equipment and wiring was not approved for hazardous locations.

“Recent events have shown the damage that can result from the failure to control dust and dust explosions,” said OSHA Area Director Nick Walters, Peoria, Ill. “The cost of human life and health is far too great a price to pay for anyone to ignore this hazard. All of us want to see working men and women go home safe at the end of every work shift.”

In business since 1997, the company has been inspected by OSHA on seven occasions since January 2000. These inspections have resulted in the issuance of 31 serious, nine willful, four repeat and seven other-than-serious citations.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Peoria or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA’s role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For more information, visit

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OSHA is proposing $105,000 in penalties against Trussway Ltd.’s Orlando, Fla., plant. An OSHA inspection in December 2008 revealed three repeat, nine serious and seven other-than-serious violations of OSHA standards.

The three repeat violations with $70,000 in proposed fines address hazards associated with improperly guarded radial arm saws; radial arm saws extending past the table edge; and a radial arm saw not returning to its starting position when the handle was released. However, the initial citation occurred at the company’s Acworth, Ga., plant in 2007 for failing to adequately guard the radial saw blades, and OSHA cited Trussway’s Chandler, Ariz., plant in 2006 for the other two hazards.

The nine serious violations, carrying $35,000 in proposed penalties, address hazards associated with hearing conservation, lockout/tagout of accidental energy start-up, machine guarding, electricity and hazard communication.

OSHA has cited Oxbow Calcining LLC of Kremlin for $75,600 and Kansas City, Mo.-based Geo. P. Reintjes Co. Inc. for $49,050 for alleged safety and health violations following the death of a worker on North 30th Street in Kremlin.OSHA’s Oklahoma City Area Office began its inspection Sept. 22, 2008, following a release of steam and heated petroleum coke - materials heated in an industrial process - that occurred the day before while workers were removing refractory brick used for lining furnaces in kiln chambers. Three workers employed by Geo. P. Reintjes Co. Inc., the subcontractor, were severely burned, one of whom later died.

Oxbow Calcining, a subsidiary of the Oxbow Group headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla., was cited with one willful violation for failing to follow written procedures for demolition of a refractory kiln. Citations also included two serious violations for failing to ensure employees were informed about the hazards associated with hot petroleum coke and failing to ensure workers were using the required personal protective equipment.

Geo. P. Reintjes Co. Inc., doing business as Reintjes Refractory Contractors, was cited with nine serious violations, including failing to use safe operating procedures for normal shut-down and tear-out of refractory materials at the kiln chamber, failing to provide necessary machine guarding and failing to adequately erect scaffolding.

A metal fabricator faces an additional $75,000 in penalties due to a follow-up visit

A Buffalo metal fabrication shop faces an additional $75,000 in penalties from OSHA for failing to fully correct hazards cited during a prior OSHA inspection.

In May, OSHA cited ATECH-S.E.H. Metal Fabricators Inc. for serious violations of safety standards after two employees at the company’s 103 Norris St. plant lost parts of their fingers when a mechanical power press they were setting up for operation unexpectedly activated.

OSHA found that the power press had not been de-energized and physically locked out as required under OSHA’s hazardous energy control, or lockout/tagout, standard and that the employees had not been adequately trained in lockout/tagout procedures. ATECH-S.E.H. subsequently paid $6,000 in penalties and agreed to correct all cited hazards.

OSHA conducted a follow-up inspection to verify compliance and determined that unsatisfactory corrective action had been taken. The lockout/tagout training was found to be incomplete and lockout/tagout procedures were not followed, including one instance in which another employee was injured by the unexpected startup of a power press. As a result, OSHA issued the company two failure to abate notices, which carry $75,000 in new penalties.

“The sizable penalty proposed in this case reflects both the severity and recurrence of these hazards, and the employer’s failure to properly correct them,” said Arthur Dube. OSHA’s area director in Buffalo. “Partial measures don’t get the job done. Proper lockout/tagout training and procedures must be implemented and maintained completely, effectively and continuously to safeguard employees against possible injuries.”

New Guidance on Vehicle Energy Control
OSHA released a new Guidance Directive on Controlling Hazardous Energy.  This new directive has a section on vehicle servicing and maintenance activities.   Simply removing the ignition key may not be sufficient under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s lockout/tagout rule, the agency said in its revised directive.

The document, The Control of Hazardous Energy–Enforcement Policy and Inspection Procedures (CPL 02-00-147), establishes the agency’s enforcement policy for its control of hazardous energy (Lockout/Tagout) standard. The directive went into effect February 11.

There are situations, OSHA said, where the removal of an ignition key ensures that a vehicle engine cannot be started. “However, this simple control step of removing the ignition key may not, in all cases, adequately control other types of vehicle hazardous energy,” the directive said.

The directive goes on to say that in situations where there are other keys, other workers involved, or when the work itself may activate the ignition circuit, additional protective measures are necessary.

Other significant changes to the document include additional guidance on the minor servicing exception, specific energy control procedures, periodic inspections, and unexpected energization, as well as guidance on alternative methods to lockout/tagout.

OSHA’s revised directive on enforcement policy for its lockout/tagout standard is available at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02-00-147.pdf.