Those who work in the manufacturing field may face a number of hazards in the course of their daily duties. The majority of employers take precautions to ensure the safety of all employers and seek to train those workers in the proper procedures to operate all machinery. In spite of these efforts, a serious incident may result in a company facing citations and fines. Unfortunately, as many Missouri workers have experienced, no citation or fine can repair the harm an employee may have suffered.
Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted a thorough investigation and inspection of a manufacturing plant that had reported several serious injuries to employees. The inspection found that the company was reportedly failing to ensure that protective guards were in place on certain parts of potentially dangerous machinery. Additionally, inspectors determined that workers were not properly trained in how to safely perform tasks on equipment that had jammed or otherwise needed to be cleaned or cleared of debris.
The federal agency has proposed fines in excess of $503,000 for what were classified as five serious violations and five repeated violations. Furthermore, the company has been registered with the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement program. Over the course of the past 60 months, 15 workers have suffered amputation injuries at this particular plant location. The company has more than two dozen other plants in several locations both in America and abroad. Worker injury statistics for those other plants were not addressed in this report.
The company was given 15 days to comply with or contest the citations and fines, or request an informal review with the agency’s regional director. Of the four most recent reports of injuries, three of the employees suffered amputation wounds, and one suffered broken bones in his hand after a crush-type injury. The injured workers most likely filed for benefits from their local workers’ compensation program. Missouri workers are also entitled to file for these benefits whenever they suffer a work-related injury or illness. An attorney who has successfully navigated the claims process may be an invaluable resource for those who have suffered a serious injury on the job.
Source: reliableplant.com, “Chicago Manufacturer Cited After 4 Workers Suffer Injuries“, Nov. 9, 2017