Milton, Pennsylvania, manufacturer cited for workplace safety and health hazards after employee sustains 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns

Employer name:  ACF Industries LLC, a manufacturer and fabricator of specialty railcar parts and miscellaneous steel products, is located at 417 N. Arch Street in Milton, Pennsylvania.  The company’s headquarters is located at 101 Clark Street in St. Charles, Missouri.

Citations issued: On Dec. 8, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Wilkes-Barre Area Office issued citations for one willful and three serious violations.

Investigation findings: OSHA initiated an inspection after being notified that an employee received  second- and third- degree burns on his face, arms and hands from an arc blast while changing a fuse.

Inspectors found that the employee was a blasting machine operator trainee and not a trained, qualified electrician; the employee was not provided with the proper personal protective equipment; and the electrical service had not been de-energized or locked out while the fuse was being changed. Citations were issued for these hazards.

The employer has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Proposed penalties: $87,000

Quote:  “This unfortunate incident could have easily been prevented if the employer took the necessary steps to ensure that employees were protected while performing highly-hazardous tasks,” said Mark Stelmack, director of OSHA’s Wilkes-Barre Area Office.  “Putting unqualified, untrained and unprotected employees in harm’s way will not be tolerated.”

View the citations:  http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/ACFIndustries_1073009_12.8.15.pdf

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 Wilkes-Barre Area Office at 570-826-6538.