Amputation at El Paso plant leads to OSHA fines of $412k
EL PASO, Texas -- A gruesome incident triggered an OSHA investigation and 17 citations for safety violations that contributed to an El Paso metal stamping plant accident resulting in a worker losing two of his fingers.
The federal agency on Monday issued fines against D&D Manufacturing Inc. totaling over $412,000 for two willful, 12 serious and three other safety violations, saying the company "willfully exposed workers to amputation dangers."
According to inspection documents, OSHA's probe found the company...
- Failed to use required machine guards to prevent workers from coming into contact with machines’ operating parts
- Did not conduct regular inspections, resulting in machine malfunctions
- Failed to ensure that employees used appropriate protective equipment
- Was a repeat offender, having been cited for a total of 47 similar safety violations in 2014 and 2015
“The willful and serious violations identified in this inspection show D&D Manufacturing Inc. continues to ignore required worker safety protections. Moving machine parts have the potential to cause severe injuries when they are not properly guarded and safety procedures are absent,” said Diego Alvarado, Jr., OSHA's El Paso area director.
The Illinois-based company, which also operates plants in Illinois and Mexico, employs about 60 of its 400 total workforce at the El Paso facility.
