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OSHA News Release
2003 - 08/13/2003 - Failure to Maintain Safety Devices, Procedures Leads to $136,350 Fine for Watertown, Wis. Employer |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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Region 5 News Release V-342 Aug. 13, 2003 Contact: Brad Mitchell Phone: 312-353-6976 Failure to Maintain Safety Devices, Procedures Leads to $136,350 Fine for Watertown, Wis. Employer
Amputation result of company's careless approach to worker safety, Labor Secretary says MADISON, WIS. -- A Watertown, Wis. company is facing $136,350 in fines proposed by the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following a February 2003 accident in which an employee suffered the amputation of his lower left arm while reaching into potentially activated machinery to retrieve a piece of scrap metal. An OSHA investigation into the accident revealed that Fisher Barton, Inc., a company that manufactures lawn mower blades and other heat-treated stampings a metals, failed to properly repair a hot trimming press used in a steel forge to trim hot metal after a safety device designed to prevent accidental energizing of the trimming press was broken and removed in the spring of 2002. The safety device was never replaced. OSHA also charged the company with failing to provide adequate training in lockout/tagout procedures, a lack of machine guarding, and failure to maintain forge shop equipment in a safe operating condition as well as not locking out, stopping or blocking the operation of the hot trimming press during servicing or maintenance. "Fisher Barton, Inc., was fully aware of this terrible hazard, but failed to take appropriate steps to protect workers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "OSHA's first commitment is to protect workers from such tragedies. We stand ready to assist employers of all sizes to make their workplace safe, but we will fully enforce standards when employers take a careless approach to workplace safety and health." A division of Accurate Specialties, Inc., Waukesha, Wis., Fisher Barton employees 165 workers at the Watertown facility located at 1109 Falcon Ct., Watertown, where the accident occurred. Fisher Barton has two plants in Watertown and one in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. Two earlier inspections of the Watertown plants in 1995 and 1993 resulted in violations uncovered by OSHA for machine guarding, lack of personal protective equipment, and lockout/tagout issues. According to OSHA Area Director Kimberly Stille, Madison, the company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to appeal before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses and protecting America's workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ### U.S. Labor Department news releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov/ebsa. The information in this release will be made available in alternative format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call 202-693-7773 or TTY 202-693-7755. |
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