The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
cited I-80 Equipment LLC for thirty three serious safety and health violations. They come in
response to an inspection of a worksite in Colona, Ill in June of 2015. This inspection was
initiated in response to a complaint filed alleging unsafe working condutions. The citations are
for violations relating to: chemical exposure; lack of respiratory protection; lack of adequate eye
protection; electrical safety hazards; absence of fall protection; improperly stored compressed
gas and oxygen cylinders; and multiple other safety and health violations. These violations carry
proposed penalties of $133,000.
“Proper respiratory protection and monitoring are vital when workers use solvents containing
methylene chloride to strip, degrease and clean equipment,” said Tom Bielema, OSHA’s area
director in Peoria. “Employers using chemicals in the workplace must take all precautions to
protect the long-term health of workers.”
This is a case of an employee recognizing an unsafe workplace and contacting OSHA directly to
lodge a complaint. And unfortunately for the company, there were multiple violations at this
worksite which OSHA discovered. This is why it is important to have comprehensive
occupational safety and health policies and procedures which cover every area of workplace
safety. Otherwise, should there be a deficiency in one area, violations will be found across the
board by OSHA, as their investigators will not simply investigate the issue for which they were
called into the facility.
If you have any questions about this inspection or about your occupational safety and health
policies and procedures, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this inspection,
please leave a comment.
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