Top 10 OSHA Fines in February
OSHA reported 21 cases in February, with fines totaling $2.6 million and averaging nearly $124,000 per location. Here’s the Top 10 List of individual OSHA fines in February:
1. $448,000 – Electrical Violations
Cause: Worker electrocuted when the equipment he was working with came in contact with overhead power lines
Major Citations: 6 willfuls, including failing to ensure that parts of equipment being operated didn’t come within 10 feet of a power line and exposing workers to electrical shock and electrocution. Company placed into SVEP (Severe Violators Enforcement Program).
2. $309,000 — Whistleblower Violation
Cause: Fired worker complained
Major Citations: Company allegedly fired railroad conductor in retaliation for reporting injury suffered by train engineer in violation of whistleblower laws
3. $274,500 — Respiratory Hazards (Silica Dust), LOTO, Machine Guarding Violations
Cause: Regional emphasis program targeting primary metal industries
Major Citations: 3 repeats including exposing workers to silica dusts above recommended exposure levels, machine guarding—unguarded conveyor tail pulleys and LOTO—not applying energy isolating devices to equipment while servicing it. Company placed into SVEP.
OSHA NOTICE Respirators Must Be Worn In This Area Sign
Wearing a respirator can prevent all kinds of nasty lung and throat related illnesses. Making sure that workers know where to wear them is a great way to protect them for harm.
4. $229,600 — Confined Spaces, Methyl-Ethyl Ketone Violations
Cause: Worker inside 18-foot-deep vault manhole overcome by methyl-ethyl ketone exposure
Major Citations: 3 willfuls against coatings contractor including lack of safety precautions for confined spaces entry in 6 locations, not performing atmospheric testing before confined spaces entry and failure to control exposure to methyl-ethyl ketone via methods such as ventilation. Contractor placed into SVEP; construction contractor, KCI Construction, also cited for one serious violation—not conducting frequent and regular inspection of job site materials before confined spaces entry.
5. $192,000 — LOTO Violations
Cause: On his first day of work, 21-year-old temp crushed to death when co-worker re-starts the pelletizer machine while the temp was cleaning glass from it
Major Citations: 2 willfuls for failing to develop and train temp in LOTO procedures
Don’t blow it
OSHA DANGER Combustible Dust Explosion Hazard Sign
Combustible dust is created when flammable materials create dust, which may catch fire in the air. As you can imagine, that is a very bad thing to have happen, and can harm workers and damage property. Taking the proper precautions to prevent ignition of combustible dust can help prevent an explosion.
6. $129,745 — Hearing Conservation, Electrical, Machine Guarding, LOTO, Fire Violations
Cause: Follow-up inspection
Major Citations: 14 repeats, including electrical hazards, hearing conservation—lack of baseline and annual audiogram testing, noise control engineering controls and noise training, failure to implement machine-specific LOTO procedures, lack of machine guarding and not keeping fire exit routes clear
7. $129,500 — PPE, Electrical Violations
Cause: Follow-up inspection
Major Citations: 4 repeats, including lack of emergency eyewash facilities for workers exposed to corrosives, not ensuring electrical receptacles kept at appropriate polarity, not making workers use protective footwear and failure to monitor exposure to formaldehyde during chip frying process
Portrait Eye Wash Sign
Chemicals caught in a person’s eye can cause serious, lasting damage if not treated properly. Having clearly marked eye washing stations can help to prevent such injuries.
8. $123,000 — Process Safety Management Violations
Cause: Follow-up inspection
Major Citations: 23 serious, most of them for violations of the process safety management standard for companies that work with highly hazardous chemicals
9. $119,840 — Combustible Dusts Violations
Cause: Two workers killed during blasting operations as a result of combustible dust flash fire
Major Citations: $91,300 against mechanical services company for 14 serious, including failing to control fugitive combustible dusts emissions; $20,240 against general contractor for 7 serious violations including lack of respiratory protection program and not training workers in dangers of combustible dusts; and $2,800 against electrical contractor that assisted in demolition for not banning cutting operations in presence of combustible dusts
10. $112,500 — Electrical, Machine Guarding, Fall Violations
Cause: Targeted inspection under OSHA Site-Specific Targeting Program—company had higher than industry average injury rates
Major Citations: 24 serious, including electrical hazards, lack of machine guarding and slip, trip and fall hazards
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