General Aluminum Manufacturing Company, located in Wapakoneta, Ohio, was recently cited for exposing workers to workplace hazards. As a result, they face $480,000 in proposed penalties. This follows a previous inspection conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety Administration (OSHA) earlier this year.
In February 2022, OSHA found a band saw and quench tank that lacked adequate machine guarding. In addition, the company failed to train workers in performing service and maintenance tasks on industrial machinery for energy control procedures. Due to the lack of proper training, some workers experienced amputation, caught-in, and struck-by hazards. These citations were also issued for these violations at the Conneaut and Ravenna facilities.
In June 2022, OSHA also cited the Conneaut plant for eight additional violations and assessed $315,952 in proposed penalties.
General Aluminum
General Aluminum Manufacturing Company offers engineered casting solutions. They produce machined aluminum castings for the automotive and non-automotive industries. In addition, they offer their customers low-pressure permanent molding, permanent molding, semi-permanent molding, lost foam, and high-pressure die castings. The company employs around 1,200 workers across the U.S., with 137 employees at the Wapakoneta location.
OSHA Penalties They Face Today
The most recent OSHA inspection conducted in the Wapakoneta facility cited the company with:
- One repeat
- Two willful
- 10 serious violations for exposing workers to fall hazards while working on top of casting machines, burn hazards due to water accumulation around casting machines, and using improper personal protective equipment
OSHA inspectors determined worker exposure to electrical and arc flashes, confined space, and powered industrial vehicle hazards. General Aluminum has 15 business days from the day they received the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent OSHA Review Commission.
Do You Want To Make Your Workplace Safer?
GMS can help business owners take a proactive approach to workplace safety through various services through the following strategies:
- Onsite consulting
- Jobsite inspections
- Accident and injury investigations
- Training
- Job hazard analysis (JHA) and standard operating procedures (SOP)
- OSHA inspection and citation assistance
Take this concrete example from a manufacturing company as a reminder to act now before it’s too late. Don’t wait for OSHA to knock on your door; let GMS safety experts inspect your facility first. Learn more today.