Griffin Wheel Company, a Wichita, Kansas-based manufacturer of iron wheels for the railroad industry, was cited for 39 alleged safety and health violations. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed penalties totaling $213,500.
Griffin Wheel, a subsidiary of Amstead Industries Inc., was selected for a comprehensive joint safety and health inspection under the agency's site-specific targeting program," said Charles E. Adkins, CIH, OSHA regional administrator in
OSHA citations were issued for 24 serious and eight repeat alleged safety violations and seven serious alleged health violations. The serious safety citations alleged such hazards as disorderly work areas; employee use of defective portable ladders; lockout/tag out program deficiencies and unsafe use of electrical equipment. Repeat safety citations alleged such hazards as; unguarded work areas above dangerous equipment; and general machine guarding deficiencies.
The serious health citations addressed certain hazards associated with the evaluation and classification of confined spaces; implementation of procedures such as lockout/tag out for safe entry of confined spaces; lack of rescue equipment provided for confined space emergencies; and adequate development and implementation of training for confined space rescue procedures.
Serious violations are those which could result in death or serious physical harm, about which the employer knew or should have known. Repeat violations involve hazards for which the company was previously cited.
