Queens manufacturer exposes employees to new and recurring hazards

Employer name: Juniper Elbow Co. Inc., doing business as Juniper Industries Inc., a metal products manufacturer located at 72-15 Metropolitan Ave. in the Middle Village section of Queens, New York.

Citations issued: On Sept. 9, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for 4 repeat and 11 serious violations of workplace safety standards.

Investigation findings: OSHA found four hazards similar to those cited during a 2012 inspection — blocked exit routes; missing or unmounted fire extinguishers; four lathes not guarded against employee contact with their operating parts; and failure to monitor noise levels and administer a hearing conservation program. The inspection also identified several new hazards. These included a locked exit; no exit access to the street; no welding screens where required; a sprinkler head and paint spray booth covered in paint; several instances of operating machine parts not guarded against contact; and no safety training for employees exposed to high noise levels.

Proposed Penalties: $85,140

Quote: "These conditions exposed employees to possible hearing loss, broken bones, lacerations, amputation, fire, eye injuries and being unable to exit the workplace swiftly and safely in the event of emergency," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director for Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn. "The repeated nature of several of these violations is disturbing and unacceptable. Juniper must make and adhere to an ongoing effective commitment to protect the safety and health of its employees."

View the citations: Juniper Elbow Co. Inc.

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 Queen District Office at 718-279-9060.