The Kronis Coatings Division of Jay Industries Inc. was recently cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for one repeat and four serious safety violations, including repeatedly exposing workers to amputation hazards from moving machinery parts during service and maintenance work. The proposed penalties total $62,400.
"Kronis Coatings Division has continually exposed workers to dangerous moving machinery, which can cause life-altering injury, including amputation," said Kim Nelson, OSHA's area director in Toledo, Ohio. "When an employer is cited for repeat violations, it demonstrates that safety is not part of the company's culture. That is unacceptable."
OSHA initiated an inspection on July 17, 2014, as a part of its Site-Specific Targeting Program, which focuses inspection efforts on employers in high injury and illness industries. Amputation hazards are among OSHA's most frequently cited violations.
The company was cited for failure to protect workers from moving machinery parts and other violations in 2012 and during the July 17 inspection. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
In addition, serious violations were cited for a lack of machine and tongue guarding, failure to adjust machinery properly and to test electrical personnel protective equipment as required. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Based in Mansfield, Ohio, Kronis Coatings Division welds and powder coats metal automotive parts and employs 45 workers. Jay Industries, which employs about 1,000 workers companywide, operates five facilities in Mansfield and one each in Michigan, Illinois and Alabama.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
