Doyle & Roth Manufacturing Co. Inc. faces $68,600 in OSHA fines for continued safety hazards at its Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, facility

SIMPSON, Pa. — Fall hazards, inadequate machine guarding and failure to implement lockout/tagout procedures were among the 38 workplace safety hazards cited by U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors at Doyle & Roth Manufacturing Co. Inc.

The New York-based company faces $68,600 in proposed penalties following the May 28, 2014, inspection. The investigation was initiated as part of the agency's Site-Specific Targeting Program that directs enforcement resources to workplaces with the highest injury and illness rates. The heat-transfer equipment and pressure vessel manufacturer is located at 1 Morse Ave in Simpson.

"Since 2010, Doyle & Roth has failed to address many workplace hazards found in our inspections. These violations put employees at risk of serious injuries and possibly death," said Mark Stelmack, director of OSHA's Wilkes-Barre Area Office. "When employers fail to ensure a safe and healthful workplace, OSHA can and will hold them legally responsible."

OSHA cited Doyle & Roth previously following inspections in 2010 and 2013 when investigators found unsafe exit routes, struck-by hazards due to damaged slings and missing protective screens and shields for welders. The same violations existed during the current investigation, which resulted in three repeat citations, with a $15,400 penalty. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

OSHA also proposed a $53,200 penalty for 33 serious safety violations. Workers were expected to use fixed ladders to reach elevated areas and catwalks with inadequate railings, which exposed them to fall hazards of up to 28 feet. Employees also were exposed to electrical and crushing injuries because of a failure to provide a lockout/tagout program and training for technicians servicing and maintaining dangerous equipment. That equipment lacked proper guarding, which exposed workers to flying debris and wheel fragments; rotating machine parts; entanglement; and amputation hazards.

A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Two additional safety citations were issued because employees were not trained on hazardous substances and electrical hazards. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Wilkes-Barre Area Office at 570-826-6538.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.