Exposing Workers to Electrical Shock Yields Fines of $66,400 for Texas Manufacturer

Jan 9, 2015 Electrical Construction and Maintenance

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During the 2013 inspection, C & H Die Casting was cited for violating 30 serious safety and health OSHA standards.

Twice in 18 months, C & H Die Casting, Inc. has exposed workers to safety hazards, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found, leading the agency to cite the Troy, Texas-based company for 15 serious safety and health standards violations with proposed penalties of $66,400.

“Once again, C & H has failed to provide a workplace free from hazards that could seriously harm workers,” said Casey Perkins, OSHA’s area director in Austin. “Waiting until a worker has been injured or killed to find and fix these hazards is unacceptable.”

During the 2013 inspection, C & H Die Casting was cited for violating 30 serious safety and health OSHA standards, including using spliced electrical cords. The citations carried $112,500 in proposed fines. In September 2014, inspectors discovered workers still being exposed to electrical shock hazards. This repeated violation carried a $22,000 penalty. A repeated violation exists when an employer has been cited previously for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

Also cited were 14 serious safety violations with a $44,400 penalty. OSHA cited the serious violations for failure to repair damaged and uneven concrete floors; failure to guard belts, pulleys and shafts; and numerous electrical violations, including spliced welding cables, uncovered welding terminals, missing grounding prongs on electrical cords and unlabeled circuit breaker panels.