Region 6 News Release:   USDL-OSHA-01-48-05-15
Tues., May 15, 2001
Contact: Diana Petterson or Elizabeth Todd
Phone: (214) 767-4776, ext. 222 or 221

OSHA CITES AMTOPP CORP. IN LOLITA, TEXAS, FOR ALLEGED SAFETY VIOLATIONS; PROPOSES $140,000 IN PENALTIES

DALLAS - The Corpus Christi area office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Amtopp Corp., in Lolita, Texas, with two alleged safety violations and proposed penalties totaling $140,000, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.

Amtopp Corp. manufactures plastic film and employs about 400 workers.

OSHA discovered the alleged violations during an inspection that began Nov. 30, 2000, after receiving a formal complaint.

The company was cited with one willful and one repeat violation. The one willful violation was for failing to provide a standard railing on open-sided floors exposing employees to a fall hazard. In addition, the investigation found that the access platform to the inspection station had been altered by the employer and guardrails were not provided on all open sides. A willful violation is defined as one that is committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety & Health Act and regulations.

The repeat violation was for not providing machine guarding to protect operator and other employees from hazards created by the rotating parts, pinch points and points of operation. A repeat violation is defined as a violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order where, upon reinspection, a substantially similar violation is found.

Employers or workers who have questions concerning safety and health may contact the OSHA Corpus Christi area office at (361) 888-3420. Or, call OSHA's toll free hotline number at 1-800-321-6742 to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers.

Amtopp has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the Corpus Christi OSHA area director, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.