Following an inspection on February 4, 2014, The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for 19 safety and health violations to Seeler Industries, Inc. in Joliet, Illinois. The citations focus around exposing workers to hazardous chemicals and chemical particles. These citations come as a result of a complaint to OSHA by an employee and carry proposed fines totaling $134,400.

“Workers have the right to know what workplace chemicals they are exposed to and to be protected against exposure, which can have severe health effects,” said Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director in Calumet City. “Mishandling chemicals can result in catastrophic fires and explosions. It is the employer’s responsibility to protect workers from these hazards.”

The investigation determined that Seeler Industries, Inc. did not provide an effective training program relating to the safe use of hazardous chemicals. Additional citations were for: failing to provide fall protection, such as guardrails, and a sanitary work environment; failing to follow respiratory protection standards; and failing to train workers on confined space requirements, the use of personal protective equipment, and proper operation of powered industrial vehicles. There was also a citation for a lack of specific lockout/tagout procedures to protect workers operating dangerous machinery and exposing workers to live electrical parts by failing to shut down equipment during service and maintenance.

As you can see, OSHA cited Seeler Industries for a number of different aspects of occupational health and safety, even outside of the original scope of the investigation. For this reason, it is important to make sure all of your safety procedures are up to date and up to code, to protect you from the domino effect of an investigation.

 

If you have any questions about creating or updating safety and health procedures, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of updated procedures, please leave a comment.