Plastics manufacturer exposed workers to amputation hazards

Employer name: Plastic Molding Technology Inc.

Site: El Paso, Texas

Date initiated: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the November 2014 inspection under the National Emphasis Program on Amputations. The NEP is designed to identify and reduce workplace hazards that cause or are likely to cause amputations.

Investigation findings: OSHA's El Paso Area Office cited the employer for failure to: develop procedures for properly isolating the equipment energy source to prevent the equipment from moving while workers performed maintenance; perform required periodic inspections of its lockout/tagout program, which protects workers from machine hazards during maintenance and servicing; replace damaged or missing safety guards on a plastic injection molding machine and other equipment that could cause burns or electrical shock to workers. Additionally, electrical equipment was not properly installed or maintained and a conveyor was not effectively grounded to prevent workers from being electrocuted. 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.

Proposed Penalties: $47,700

Information: 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 El Paso office at 915-534-6251.