Battery recycling facility continues to expose workers to dangerous levels of lead, cadmium at Lancaster, Ohio, facility

OSHA cited Retriev Technologies for same hazards in 2012

LANCASTER, Ohio — Two years after agreeing to reduce workers' exposure to lead and cadmium, a Lancaster battery recycling facility continues to expose workers to dangerously high airborne concentrations of the metals — a leading cause of workplace illness — which can cause long-term damage to the central nervous, urinary, blood and reproductive systems.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found Retriev Technologies Inc. failed to implement engineering controls and monitor employee exposure to these hazards. OSHA cited the company on Aug. 14 for eight repeated and one serious health violation. Proposed penalties total $74,250.

In 2012, the agency cited Retriev for similar hazards at the same facility, then known as Toxco Inc.

"Retriev Technologies must protect the long-term health of it workers," said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA's area director in Columbus. "The company's compliance programs lacked information on controlling exposure levels, which harmed employees."

View current citations here.

Retriev Technologies has headquarters in Anaheim, California. It has facilities in Canada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 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 amputations, eye loss, 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 Columbus Area Office at 614-469-5582.

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.