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

$113,300 in fines for US Minerals, Inc. as a result of nine health and safety violations. These

violations were uncovered during an inspection which came as the result of a follow up audit on

a facility in Roberts, WI in September, 2014. These health and safety violations were for

exposure to serious machine, fall, and respiratory hazards.

“U.S. Minerals continues to demonstrate that the safety and health of its workers is not a

corporate priority,” said Mark Hysell, area director of OSHA’s Eau Claire office. “This

inspection demonstrates that the company has failed to meet the goals outlined in the 2012

agreement. This is a disheartening setback for worker safety at this company.”

Four repeat violations were issued because employees were endangered by amputation and

crushing hazards at a conveyor and while clearing pallet jams and debris from a pallet elevator;

workers were also expected to unclog a chute at a height of about 25 feet without adequate fall

protection systems in place.

In addition, a known carcinogen, hexavalent chromium, was found in eating areas. Employees

were also not trained on hazardous chemicals in their workplace and their potential health

effects. U.S. Minerals also failed to develop procedures for summoning rescue and emergency

services and used fiberglass self-supporting ladders inappropriately. This led to three serious

violations.

Finally, OSHA inspectors found exits were blocked by large pallets of materials and powered

industrial trucks were left unattended while being filled with materials, exposing workers to

struck-by hazards. This led to 2 other-than-serious violations.

As you can see from this investigation, OSHA has covered a number of different areas of the

business, from lockout tagout to evacuation routes. What this means for your business is that if

you have a deficiency in one area, it can lead to an audit uncovering multiple issues across

multiple areas. So if you are uncomfortable with your occupational health and safety policies and

procedures, it is important to have them updated.

If you have any questions about this case or about updating your occupational safety and health

procedures, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this case, please leave a

comment.