Contender Boats continues to expose workers to fall, amputations and electrical hazards

Employer name: Contender Boats Inc.

Inspection site: 1820 SE 38th Avenue, Homestead, Florida 33035

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the Dec. 16, 2014, inspection as part of the agency's Site Specific Targeting Program.

Inspection findings: OSHA issued the employer 10 repeat, 11 serious and four other-than-serious safety and health violations. The repeated citations were issued for allowing forklifts with broken seats to be in operation; failing to perform frequent inspections of cranes to identify defects or excessive wear on operating components; exposing workers to a drill press that was not secured to the floor; using compressed air in excess of 30 pounds per square inch for cleaning; and exposing employees to several electrical hazards. OSHA cited the company for serious violations for not having safety guards on machinery; lack of stairway railings, which exposed workers to fall hazards; not implementing a hearing conservation program for employees performing boat building operations; and failing to train employees who use hazardous chemicals.

Quote: "Contender Boats must ensure worker safety is not an afterthought. There is no excuse for exposing employees to the serious hazards which could result in burns, hearing loss, amputation or even death," said Condell Eastmond, OSHA's area director in Ft. Lauderdale. "The company must take all the necessary steps to immediately correct the hazards and foster a safer work environment for all employees."

Proposed penalties: $106,000

The citations can be viewed at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/ContenderBoatsInc_1014277_1018073.pdf

Contender Boats Inc. manufactures sport fishing boats and employs approximately 160 workers. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a 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 Ft. Lauderdale Area Office at 954-424-0242.