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| Occupational Safety & Health Administration | ||||||
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OSHA News Release
2005 - 12/14/2005 - OSHA Cites Eldorado Stone in Pueblo for Safety and Health Violations |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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Region 8 News Release: OSHA 05-2264-DEN Wednesday, December 14, 2005 Contact: Rich Kulczewski Phone: (303) 844-1302 OSHA Cites Eldorado Stone in Pueblo for Safety and Health Violations
PUEBLO, Colo. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Eldorado Stone LLC, Pueblo, Colo., for 25 alleged serious, willful and repeat violations following an inspection of the architectural stone manufacturer. Proposed penalties total $137,500. The OSHA inspection began June 15 in response to a complaint from the Pueblo Human Relations Commission. It resulted in 22 serious citations with proposed penalties of $63,000; one willful citation with a penalty of $49,500; and two repeat citations totaling $25,000 in proposed penalties. Eldorado Stone has a local workforce of approximately 200 employees. "Employers must take necessary precautions to protect employees from workplace hazards," said John Healy, OSHA area office director in Englewood, Colo. "This significant penalty demonstrates OSHA's commitment to assure compliance with job safety and health standards." Alleged serious violations addressed hazards associated with: lack of emergency stops on conveyors; inadequate housekeeping; improper ladders; inadequate training on lock-out/tag-out procedures to render machinery inoperable during maintenance and repair; lack of an eyewash station where corrosive chemicals were used; unsafe stacking of materials; inadequate forklift training; use of unsafe forklifts; inadequate machine guarding; projecting shaft ends; unguarded belts and pulleys; storage of oxygen cylinders adjacent to acetylene cylinders; unsafe electrical equipment, and employee overexposure to respirable dust and silica. Serious violations occur when there is probability of death or serious physical harm and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. Failure to implement a hearing conservation program was cited as a willful violation and inadequate guardrails and an unguarded chain and sprocket resulted in repeat citations. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. Repeat violations are those for which an employer has been previously cited for the same or a substantially similar condition and the citation has become a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Eldorado Stone has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply with them, request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ###
U.S. Labor Department (DOL) releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate 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) 693-7765 or TTY (202) 693-7755. DOL is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance. |
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