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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 693-1999
Tomasco Mulciber, Inc., an Ohio auto parts manufacturer, agreed to pay
$820,500 in penalties and implement a comprehensive safety and health program
at its Columbus plant to settle a case brought earlier this year by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"We are pleased that Tomasco has promised to correct the safety problems
that caused serious hand and finger injuries to so many of its employees,"
Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman said. "Even more encouraging is the new
safety and health program they are putting in place to provide ongoing
protection for all their employees."
OSHA inspected the plant as part of its ongoing efforts to examine
workplaces with the highest injury and illness rates. As a result of this
inspection, on Jan. 19 OSHA issued willful and serious citations for violations
of its machine guarding, lockout/tagout, mechanical power press, confined
spaces and electrical standards. Penalties of $1.64 million were proposed.
In the settlement, Tomasco certified that all the conditions cited as
violations are abated. The company also conducted a comprehensive safety and
health analysis at the plant in conjunction with an outside consultant. A
written action plan now provides for improvements to be made to the plant
safety and health programs.
"This is a good example of how well OSHA's programs of site-specific
inspection targeting work," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health Charles N. Jeffress. "As a result of OSHA's inspection,
Tomasco is taking positive steps to eliminate serious hazards in the workplace.
And the settlement not only protects the workers, but avoids the cost and
burden of prolonged litigation."
Tomasco's new safety and health program includes communications by the
company president to all employees and temporary workers that stress the
fundamental importance of safety and health protection and the establishment of
clear corporate safety and health goals and objectives for managers and
supervisors, for which they can be held accountable.
In addition, the company agreed to review and revise its written safety
and health programs to ensure that all employees and temporary workers are
competent to recognize basic safety hazards and those that are unique to the
industry.
Tomasco also agreed to train temporary, newly-hired and newly
reassigned employees on specific work operations, machine guarding,
lockout/tagout safety and disciplinary rules to be applied in event of failure
to observe work safety rules. The training will emphasize that no work is to be
performed on machinery with removed, broken or disabled safety devices.
The company also agreed that no machinery will be used if safety
devices, including point of operation safety controls, are disabled, broken or
removed from the machine.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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