Agricultural manufacturer exposes workers to amputation, other safety hazards

Employer name: The Bellevue Manufacturing Company, Bellevue, Ohio

Citations issued: Oct. 14, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Toledo Area Office cited the Bellevue manufacturer of agricultural oil filters for 19 serious and one other-than-serious safety and health violations including exposing workers to amputation and machine hazards.

The citations follow a March 2015 OSHA complaint investigation that found employees were exposed to:

• Operating parts of machinery.
• Fall hazards because platforms lacked guard rails.
• Unintentional operation of machines during service and maintenance.
• Electrical shock due to a lack of personal protective equipment and training in safe work practices.
• Confined space hazards when entering the parts washer due to a lack of training, signage and procedures.

The company also failed to provide eye and face protection for workers exposed to battery acid and did not provide an eye wash station. Additionally, workers were not trained in operating powered industrial vehicles.

Quote: "Each year thousands of workers are injured on the job, because their employer failed to follow basic safety procedures such as providing protective clothing and installing machine safety guards," said Kim Nelson, OSHA's area director in Toledo. "Employers need to develop safety and health programs that are appropriate for the work tasks and ensure workers are properly trained."

Proposed Penalties: $112,500

View Citations:

• http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/TheBellevueMfgCo_1055737.pdf
• http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/TheBellevueMfgCo_1055743.pdf

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Toledo Area Office at 419-259-7542.