U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Steel Plant For Fall Hazards Following Worker Injury

CLEVELAND, OH – After two separate inspections, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited ArcelorMittal Cleveland LLC for exposing employees to falls. OSHA has proposed $222,579 in penalties.

OSHA inspected the steel plant after an employee suffered multiple fractures and a partial amputation of his right leg from a fall in June 2019. Inspectors cited the company for failing to protect employees from falls from walking/working surfaces.

Following that incident, OSHA received an employee complaint in August 2019, alleging ArcelorMittal Cleveland LLC exposed employees to similar hazards in other areas within the facility. OSHA cited the company for exposing employees to slip, trip and fall hazards; hazards related to falls through holes; lack of adequate machine guarding; and failing to provide and train workers on the use of personal fall arrest equipment. 

 “This injury could have been prevented if the employer had followed the law by providing workers with fall protection, and setting up the work area to prevent falls off overhead platforms and elevated work stations, or into holes in the floor and walls,” said OSHA Cleveland Area Director Howard Eberts.

OSHA provides information on requirements for protecting workers from fall hazards in the fact sheet, General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards.  

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the 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.

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 help 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 https://www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.