The death of a 45-year-old woman who was pulled into a plastics recycling machine has resulted in citations and penalties for an Alabama company.
Emergency responders who arrived at ABC Polymer Industries LLC shortly after 6:41 p.m. on April 16, 2017 found that Eva Saenz of Alabaster, Alabama had sustained fatal injuries after being pulled into an industrial machine.
Following an investigation into the incident, OSHA cited the Helena plastics manufacturer for failing to provide machine guarding to protect employees from caught-in and amputation hazards; failing to evaluate all powered industrial trucks every three years and not having specific safety procedures to shut down or isolate stored energy; and failing to install a rail system on both sides of an open platform.
The company faces $195,144 in proposed penalties.
“This company’s failure to install machine guarding equipment has resulted in a preventable tragedy,” said OSHA Birmingham Area Office Director Ramona Morris.