OSHA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 9/12

The OSH Act of 1970 requires US employers to provide a safe, healthy workplace for every employee. Failure to comply with applicable OSHA health & safety standards can easily lead to preventable injuries and fatal accidents at workplaces of all types.

The enforcement actions highlighted below provide insight into how and why OSHA issues citations for workplace safety violations. All violations discussed are alleged only, unless we say otherwise.

We withhold the names of organizations and individuals subject to enforcement to protect their privacy. Check out OSHA’s latest list of the 10 most-cited safety Standards here.

A Houston engine-component manufacturer faces $298k in penalties due to alleged serious and repeat violations.

During a follow-up investigation on a 2022 incident where an employee allegedly lost a finger due to safety hazards, OSHA cited the employer for two repeat violations—one for not adjusting bench grinders properly and one for failure to post 2022 OSHA injury and illness logs as required. OSHA also claimed 14 serious violations related to machine guarding, exposed electrical wires, and improper operating of equipment.

The manufacturer also received failure-to-abate citations for failing to correcting previously identified hazards.

The Department of Labor has sued a Chicago-area roofing contractor for allegedly refusing to pay $360k in penalties.

For allegedly failing to provide fall arrest systems, a safety net, or guardrails at jobsites in Wisconsin and Illinois, OSHA penalized the contractor for a total of $360,000.

The Office of the Solicitor in Chicago has filed a suit to recover unpaid penalties from the contractor, who has been cited for alleged fall protection violations nine times since 2014.

An Ohio vinyl manufacturer faces $545k in penalties following 14 alleged injuries in 6 years.

A report of a finger amputation prompted OSHA to investigate a manufacturing facility. The agency alleges that a lack of required safety guards on a chain and sprocket system caused the injury.

OSHA cited the company for 10 alleged violations: three willful, two repeat, three serious, and two other-than-serious. The allegations are all related to lockout tagout procedures, training requirements, and machine guarding. The company, already contesting $1.2 million worth of citations from a 2022 investigation, now faces an additional $500,000-plus in penalties. 

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