Columbus Steel Castings Co. has received citations for two repeat and 59 serious violations of federal workplace safety and health standards.
The violations have resulted in a $257,500 penalty proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency announced today.
OSHA personnel opened an investigation at the Ohio-based steel casting and manufacturing facility in March. OSHA found that the company had “failed to correct hazards involving missing or inadequate standard guardrails and inadequate guarding of vertical belts that posed a risk to workers,” according to a statement released by the Administration.
OSHA issued repeat violations based on an October 2003 investigation that found the same or similar hazards, which were cited and certified as corrected by the company.
An additional 59 serious citations issued by OSHA covered a variety of hazards including confined spaces; lockout/tagout issues; problems with overhead cranes and forklifts; electrical hazards; inadequate machine guarding; and the improper storage of oxygen and fuel gas cylinders.
The Columbus facility has been inspected four times since 2003, including a fatality investigation.
The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to appeal the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.