OSHA Proposes $125,000 in Fines for Electrical, Chemical and Respirator Hazards
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 |
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The
U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has cited Fluid Management Systems Inc. for 29
alleged willful, serious and other-than-serious violations of safety
and health standards at its Watertown, Mass., production plant. The
manufacturer of analytical instruments faces a total of $125,000 in
proposed penalties, chiefly for electrical, chemical and respirator
hazards.
"Our inspection found employees working in close
proximity to energized electrical circuits without proper training or
personal protective equipment," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area
director for Middlesex and Essex counties. "OSHA standards require that
circuits be de-energized before employees work on them and that
appropriate personal protective equipment be supplied and used in those
rare instances where de-energizing is not feasible."
Among the
other electrical-related hazards found during the inspection were
instances of unguarded or uncovered live electrical parts, equipment
and openings; failing to de-energize live electrical parts before
working on them; not training employees in safe electrical work
practices; and allowing unqualified employees to work on energized
equipment.
Additional hazards included unmarked exit routes;
improperly stored compressed gas cylinders; inadequate lockout/tagout
safeguards; improper training and lack of eyewashes for employees
working with methylene chloride; unlabeled containers of hazardous
chemicals; and inadequate respiratory protection safeguards.
As
a result, OSHA has issued Fluid Management Systems Inc. two willful
citations, with $70,000 in proposed fines, for the lack of personal
protective equipment and for work in close proximity to energized
electrical circuits. OSHA has issued 26 serious citations, with $53,500
in fines for the remaining items. The company also has been issued one
other-than-serious citation with a $1,500 fine for not recording
injuries and illnesses in the OSHA 300 log or equivalent.
OSHA
defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to
or intentional disregard for employee safety and health. Serious
citations are issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to
result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
Fluid
Management Systems Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its
citations and proposed penalties to comply, participate in an informal
conference with the OSHA area director or contest them before the
independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The
inspection was conducted by OSHA's Boston North Area Office in Andover.
The telephone number there is 978-837-4460.
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