Multina’s Plattsburgh Plant has been found by OSHA to have repeated safety violations as well as new ones and will now have to answer up with over $109,000 in fines. Multina USA Inc., a company that produces seats for the mass-transportation industry, is being cited and fined for seven alleged repeat and serious violations as well as for failing to correct a cited violation from last year. These were determined after OSHA conducted a follow-up inspection at the plant in January this year.
Citations on the plant were from alleged recurring hazards such as the improper storage, transfer and handling of flammable liquids, and the company’s failure to provide their employees with chemical-resistant protective gloves as well as HazCom trainings. Additional citations against Multina were for previous uncorrected violations such as the failure to abate notice and failure to inform workers of their right to access medical records. Aside from these, new hazards such as the lack of machine guarding on a router and excess pressure from a compressed-air hose were also discovered on the plant.
In other news on recent OSHA citations, Kara Fibers Inc. was cited for failing to correct previously discovered hazards involving machine guards. Additional alleged workplace safety violations such as blocked exit routes and the lack of an energy control program were also identified and cited against Kara Fibers. The paper recycling company has to answer up to the proposed fines amounting to over $61,000.
All in all, the citations were issued because the hazards were likely to result in death or serious physical harm—safety and health issues the employer should know about as well as effectively address. OSHA added that employee input to their company’s safety and health program will help a great deal in preventing accidents in the workplace or jobsite.
In these two cases, it is evident that the companies concerned failed to address the hazards in their respective workplaces, leading to aggravated and pending safety and health issues. OSHA asserts that such hazardous work conditions should be promptly and effectively corrected by the management, before any accidents and/or untoward incidents can occur. In line with this, OSHA imposes big fines for failure to abate notice (or failure to correct hazards previously cited) after evidence of the violation is found in the follow-up inspections. Given these safety and health standards and requirements by OSHA, it is thus important that everyone work towards a safer and healthier workplace. This goal, after all, is for the welfare and benefit of everyone.
