Osha Eyes $76K In Fines For MassachusettsÌ Flagg-Palmer Precast

Following an OSHA Springfield Area Office inspection prompted by employee complaints, Flagg-Palmer Precast Inc. faces a total of $76,900 in proposed fines for 35 alleged repeat, serious and other than serious violations of workplace health and safety standards at its Oxford, Mass., plant

Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Region 1, Boston

Following an OSHA Springfield Area Office inspection prompted by employee complaints, Flagg-Palmer Precast Inc. faces a total of $76,900 in proposed fines for 35 alleged repeat, serious and other than serious violations of workplace health and safety standards at its Oxford, Mass., plant. Among hazardous conditions inspectors noted were bridge cranes bearing defective components; production and common areas littered with oil tanks, concrete rubble, combustible trash, rubbish and other debris; blocked or obstructed emergency exits; lack of eye, head and foot protection; no eyewash station; a defective forklift truck and no forklift training; defective slings; unguarded table saw and grinder; ungrounded or unprotected electrical equipment or wiring; unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals; and, no hazard communication training. These conditions resulted in 25 serious citations, totaling $43,500 in OSHA-proposed fines, issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.

Flagg-Palmer Precast also received nine repeat citations, totaling $32,400 in proposed fines, for hazards similar to those cited in a 2006 OSHA inspection. They addressed unguarded open-sided floors; no written confined space hazard program; unmarked confined spaces; no formal written program, hardware and training to instruct employees in shutting down machinesÌ power sources to prevent their unintended startup during maintenance; an ungrounded extension cord; exposed live electrical parts; and, no written hazard communication program. One lesser citation for which OSHA seeks a $1,000 fine entails incomplete or incorrect logging of occupational injuries.

These citations address a variety of hazards that should not exist in this type of workplace, said OSHA Springfield Area Director Mary Hoye. The fact that some of these conditions mirror those cited by OSHA in 2006 emphasizes the need for this employer to pursue prompt, continuous and effective corrective action.