Beacon Industries Inc. exposes employees to mechanical, electrical and other hazards at Newington, Conn., manufacturing plant

Employer name: Beacon Industries Inc., an aircraft engine and parts manufacturer, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Inspection site: 549 Cedar St., Newington, Connecticut 06111

Date inspection initiated: The inspection began Oct. 21, 2014, in response to a complaint.

Investigation findings: OSHA found plant employees exposed to potential lacerations, crushing injuries, amputation, electrocution and ventilation hazards. Specific hazards included inadequate training and lack of protective equipment for employees required to perform live troubleshooting on electrical equipment; missing or inadequate safeguards to prevent employees from coming into contact with the operating parts of machines; failure to conduct required inspections and provide safeguarding for a mechanical power press; absent or inadequate procedures to prevent the unintended startup of machinery during servicing; lack of inspections to ensure adequate airflow in a ventilation system; a padlocked exit door; and incorrect lifting capacity labels for forktrucks. As a result of these conditions, OSHA cited Beacon Industries Inc. for 18 serious violations of workplace safety standards.

Proposed Penalties: $71,100

Quote: "Our inspection identified a sizable number of violations of workplace safety standards that should not have existed in the first place. Beacon Industries needs to promptly and effectively address these conditions and show us what steps it will take to prevent them from occurring again," said Warren Simpson, OSHA's area director in Hartford.

Next: Beacon Industries Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet informally 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 Hartford Area Office at 860-240-3152.