The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) takes its job seriously.
Break the rules, and you can expect to face steep OSHA fines and penalties.
In severe cases, you could even face criminal charges.
Now, following an inspection of a Pennsylvania recycling plant, one company finds itself facing a series of OSHA fines.
Though no workers were injured, it’s a costly lesson in safety, nonetheless.
OSHA Fines Following A Tip
OSHA initiated two inspections on Sept. 2, 2021, after receiving a tip from the Freeland Borough’s Office of Code Enforcement.
The tip claimed that employees at the recycling center, which provides plastic recycling in Northeast Pennsylvania and surrounding states, were exposed to combustible dust, along with other health and safety hazards.
During the inspection, OSHA found that the company permitted dangerous amounts of combustible dust to build up on surfaces. Due to open electrical equipment, the dust could combust at any time.
In the end, the plant was cited with one willful, seven serious, and one other-than-serious violations.
And, it’s not the first time the company has faced OSHA fines, either.
They were previously cited for the same violations in 2014, 2016, 2016, 2018, and 2020.
The proposed OSHA fines for the most recent citations total $88,423.
Combustible Dust Hazards
Any combustible material can quickly burn in a finely powdered form, such as dust.
Under the right concentrations, this dust can even be explosive when suspended in air.
Even materials that don’t normally burn in a higher concentration, such as aluminum or iron, can explode when hanging in the air.
The force from such a blast can cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings.
“Combustible dust can burn rapidly and explode with little warning, putting workers at risk for severe injury or death,” said OSHA Area Director Mary Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
“[This company’s] continued failure to implement effective controls to prevent the accumulation of combustible dust will not be tolerated.”
The Takeaways
Worker safety should always be your top priority.
When it’s not, all it takes is one accident or unexpected visit from inspectors to lead to major citations and OSHA fines.
Whether that’s using the proper PPE, respiratory protective gear, or filtering dangerous dusts from the air, you have a duty to protect your team.
It’s not one to take lightly.
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