Employees at Formed Fiber Technologies LLC's Auburn manufacturing plant use a variety of machines, including robots, to make polyester carpets and thermoformed trunk liners for the automotive industry. An inspection by OSHA, begun in September 2014, has found these workers at risk of injuries because their employer did not ensure proper safeguards on the machines they operate.
Year after year, citations for Lockout/Tagout (LO/TO) failure continue to make the top ten list of OSHA violations. While overall citations decreased in 2014, failure to LO/TO showed the least improvement, arriving in sixth place.
A 49-year-old machine operator was fatally crushed while reaching into an extrusion press to remove unprocessed aluminum parts because his employer, BRT Extrusions Inc., failed to ensure the machine's power was fully off so that it would not turn on during maintenance, a procedure known as lockout/tagout.
New devices to enhance LOTO safety, an explosion proof light on a base stand and a case to protect several Apple products were the OSH-related products featured on ISHN.com this week.
Innovative new devices address common concerns among safety professionals
January 6, 2015
Brady (NYSE:BRC), a global leader in industrial and safety printing systems and solutions, today announced three innovative new lockout tagout products: Perma-mount™ Ball Valve, SAFELEX™ Universal Cable Lockout with Integrated Hasp and SAFETY REDBOX™.
After a Graphic Packaging International Inc. employee suffered a severe injury in June 2014 when the worker's hand was caught in a moving printing press, OSHA cited the West Monroe, Louisiana company for 28 safety violations. Proposed penalties total $129,000.
A Wagner's LLC employee didn't expect to spend his 25th birthday in the hospital, but that’s what happened on May 31, 2014. The worker’s hand and arm were severely injured after becoming caught in a moving piece of machinery while he was clearing birdseed from an industrial mixing tank.
Additional stock signs are compliant with OSHA’s most recent consensus standard for signs
December 10, 2014
Brady (NYSE:BRC), a global leader in industrial and safety printing systems and solutions, today announced its new ANSI Z-535 safety signs. Over 300 stock signs are available in Brady’s top selling messages, including personal protective equipment (PPE), lockout tagout, hazardous materials, confined space and more. Custom signs are also available to meet unique message, artwork and size specifications.
Berry Marble and Granite exposed workers to crushing hazards associated with handling granite, marble and stone at its Tyler, Texas, facility, OSHA found in a follow-up inspection. The company has received 14 citations, including two for willfully violating safety standards and two for repeated violations, with a proposed fine of $156,310.
A longtime employee at Accurate Box Co., Inc. in Paterson, N.J. sustained severe internal injuries after entering a die cutting machine to do maintenance – and being crushed when the machine was activated by another employee who was unaware that the victim was inside.