The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has

cited Reynolds Nationwide for eight safety and health violations, comprised of two willful and

six serious violation. They come in response to an inspection in August of 2014 in response to a

workplace complaint of a London, Ohio tank-cleaning facility. These violations are for exposing

workers to potentially lethal suffocation caused by dangerous fumes; the company did not test

the atmosphere and properly ventilate the air in food transport tankers before allowing workers to

enter. These violations carry proposed penalties of $179,000.

“Fumes can reach dangerous levels in confined spaces, and that puts workers in real and

immediate danger,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “Reynolds

Nationwide failed to implement training and procedures to protect workers entering these tanks,

and that is unacceptable.”

Reynolds Nationwide was cited for not properly ventilating the tankers to eliminate and control

atmospheric hazards. Reynolds was also cited for failing to test and monitor the atmospheric

conditions in the tankers before allowing workers to enter and clean them. There were also

citations issued for employee exposure to fall hazards of nearly 11 feet while cleaning the

tankers. Reynolds was also cited for failing to develop a confined space entry program, including

a lack of training, procedures for summoning emergency services, and providing monitors when

an employee enters a confined space.

If you have any questions about occupational safety and health, or about this investigation,

please contact us. If you have anything to add about this case, confined space protections, or

about this importance of monitoring air quality and offering appropriate personal protective

equipment to employees, please leave a comment.