Region 2 News Release:   NY 125
March 14, 2000
Contact: Chester J. Fultz
Phone: 212-337-2319

The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Ford Motor Company, of Hamburg, New York, and proposed penalties of $57,125 against the firm for one alleged repeat violation and seven alleged serious violations of OSHA standards. The company has until March 31 to contest the citations.

According to OSHA area director David Boyce, the action results from an investigation begun following an accident at the plant on September 15, in which an employee was severely burned by an arc blast when a tool she was using contacted live electrical parts.

Ford was cited for failing to require employees to wear non-conductive head protection when working near live electrical parts, an alleged repeat violation carrying a proposed penalty of $25,000. A repeat violation is one 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. Ford was previously cited for this condition in Brook Park, Ohio, in October, 1998.

The alleged serious violations for which the employer was cited included:

• failing to de-energize live electrical parts before working on or near them;
• failing to lock out de-energized parts before working on them;
• failing to have proper lock-out procedures for electrical work;
• failing to require employees to wear protective clothing, gloves, and face protection when working on or near electrical parts;
• failing to provide sufficient work space in front of electrical equipment;
• failing to certify that a hazard assessment had been conducted.

The serious violations carry a total proposed penalty of $32,125.

A serious violation is defined as a condition which exists where there is a substantial possibility that death or serious physical harm can result.

The investigation was conducted by OSHA's Buffalo area office, located at 5360 Genesee Street, Bowmansville, New York, telephone (716) 684-3891.