The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is investigating General Aluminum, a foundry in Conneaut, Ohio, following the serious injury of a worker. According to OSHA, this will be its fifth investigation of the company since 2013.
OSHA says the incident involved a mold-tilting machine used to produce aluminum parts crushing a worker's left hand between the center core and bottom plate. The employee now has limited use of the hand and has been unable to return to work since the March 23, 2016, injury.
In 2013 and 2015, four workers suffered amputations, in separate incidents, as a result of machine safety violations at the company’s other Ohio facilities in Wapokaneta, Ravenna and Conneaut, OSHA says.
Sept. 2, 2016, OSHA cited the company for two repeated and two serious violations of machine safety standards as a result of the worker's injury in March. OSHA has proposed penalties of $218,244.
"General Aluminum has written an unfortunate legacy of failing to protect its workers from machine hazards," says Howard Eberts, area director of OSHA's Cleveland office. "All too often, OSHA finds employers are complacent with machine safety features. Each year hundreds of workers suffer crushing injuries and amputations. The company needs to immediately address its legacy of worker injuries and make immediate improvements to its procedures, training and monitoring of machine safety procedures to ensure they are effective."
An investigation into the March incident by federal inspectors found General Aluminum allowed workers to service the mold table without powering it down or locking out machine parts to prevent workers from coming in contact with gravitational energy from moving machine parts, the agency says.
OSHA says its inspection found the company routinely failed to follow proper procedures to fully power down equipment to prevent sudden movement or starts from gravitational, hydraulic and electrical energy sources.
The injured worker was training a co-worker on procedures when the injury occurred.
The company was cited for machine safety violations following injuries at its facility in Wapokaneta in April 2015 and at its Ravenna facility in March 2015. Those violations remain under contest.
Injuries also were reported at the Conneaut facility in September 2013 and at the Ravenna Plant in August 2013. The company has settled those violations with OSHA.
General Aluminum has been contacted for comment on the charges.