News Release
US Department of Labor finds New Jersey trade show display manufacturer exposing employees to dozens of workplace safety, health hazards
OAKLAND, NJ – A U.S. Department of Labor inspection in June 2023 at an Oakland manufacturing company — that followed reports of two workers being injured — found employees exposed to dozens of serious safety and health hazards.
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened its inspection at FB International Inc., which designs, manufactures and installs trade show displays, after being notified about one employee’s eye injury and another’s foot injury. OSHA’s inspection led to citations for 32 serious violations and an assessment of $256,931 in proposed penalties for the company.
OSHA inspectors found FB International failed to do the following:
- Make sure to keep walking-working surfaces free of hazards and install guardrails at the proper height.
- Keep exit routes free and unobstructed and post exit signs correctly.
- Properly train workers and make sure they used personal protective equipment.
- Provide machine guards, make sure electrical equipment was used properly.
- Store flammable liquids safely.
- Perform a workplace hazard assessment.
- Establish written hazard communication and respiratory programs.
- Provide a medical evaluation to determine if an employee could use a respirator safely.
- Maintain a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical used.
“An OSHA inspection that finds this volume of safety and health violations across several work areas indicates a failed safety and health program,” explained OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. “The inspection results should serve as a wake-up call for FB International Inc. to eliminate workplace hazards immediately and make effective safety and health programs a priority.”
FB International Inc. serves clients in the U.S. and abroad with locations in Oakland and Las Vegas.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of 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.
