Employees of Plainville, Connecticut, electroplating company exposed to chemical, mechanical hazards

Employer name: Plainville Plating Co. Inc., an electroplating facility located at 21 Forrestville Ave. in Plainville, Connecticut.

Citations issued: On Sept. 2, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued two repeat and 11 serious citations to this employer. The repeat citations stem from hazards similar to those identified during a 2010 inspection of the workplace.

Investigation findings: Inspectors found that the company failed to:

• Determine employees' initial exposure levels to lead and cadmium, two toxic substances in use at the workplace;
• Provide workers with training on cadmium hazards;
• Prevent cadmium buildup on machinery;
• Evaluate employees' ability to safely operate forklifts;
• Ensure that employees who wear respirators are medically able to do so;
• Prevent employees from consuming food and drink in areas where the toxic substance hexavalent chromium was present;
• Separate flammable spray operations by at least three feet;
• Provide appropriate training to emergency coordinators and employees expected to fight fires; and
• Ground and shield an electric lamp against damage.

In addition, OSHA found two recurring hazards — not guarding the operating parts of machinery against employee contact and using an unapproved electrical outlet in a wet location.

Proposed Penalties: $48,304

Quote: "Employees at this plant work with highly hazardous chemicals. It's imperative that their employer take all necessary steps to protect their health and well-being at all times," said Warren Simpson, OSHA's area director in Hartford. "That includes monitoring exposure levels, providing proper and effective protective clothing, and ensuring that employees are properly trained."

View the citations: http://go.usa.gov/3MAjh.

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 Hartford Area Office at 860-240-3152.