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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
has proposed penalties totaling $1,015,000 against AK Steel Corp., Middletown,
Ohio, following investigation of a flash fire last October in which one worker
was killed and two others seriously burned.
Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich said, "Employers must
realize that serious violations of safety and health standards will bring
serious consequences. Strong action will be taken to preserve the safety and
health of America's workplaces."
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and
Health Joseph A. Dear said, "AK Steel has a terrible safety and health record,
with eight workers killed in the Middletown Works since October 1993.
Hopefully, imposing these penalties will help turn AK Steel around and put it
on the path to a safe workplace. We don't want any other workers unnecessarily
exposed to fatal risks or serious workplace injuries."
Jerry Ball, a 49-year-old production worker, was fatally
burned Oct. 4, 1995, in the flash fire; two maintenance employees also were
seriously injured.
Following an investigation into the fire, OSHA cited AK
Steel Corp. for 14 alleged willful and five alleged serious violations of
OSHA's lockout/tagout safety standard. This standard requires employers to
ensure that machinery or equipment is disconnected from its energy source and
is inoperative before any repair, maintenance or servicing work begins.
The proposed penalty for each willful violation is
$70,000, the maximum under the law. The total for the alleged willful
violations is $980,000.
The proposed penalty for each alleged serious violation is
$7,000. The total of proposed penalties for the serious violations is
$35,000.
William M. Murphy, area director for the Cincinnati area
OSHA office, said that OSHA currently has three other investigations under way
in the Middletown facility.
One investigation involves another serious accident that
occurred Dec. 5, 1995, when 14 workers were injured in an explosion of a gas
pipeline for a blast furnace.
Immediately following the December 5th explosion, OSHA
initiated a comprehensive expanded inspection, focusing on a review of the
company's safety and health programs and procedures, including contractor
safety procedures, and determining whether safety and health procedures were
being followed.
A third investigation involves a review of the adequacy of
the company's injury and illness records.
About 3,850 employees, represented by Armco Employees
Independent Federation, are employed in the Middletown Works, an integrated
steel mill. AK Steel has another 1,900 employees at a facility in Ashland, Ky.
Willful violations are those committed with an intentional
disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act and
regulations.
A serious violation is defined as one in which there is
substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and
the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.
The company has 15 working days to contest the citations
and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health
Review Commission.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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