Company Cited for Alleged Willful and Serious Violations

OSHA has proposed penalties totaling $217,500 against a fire log manufacturer operating a plant in Birmingham, AL. OSHA opened an inspection in July 2009 after an employee was burned when hot wax he was transferring from a railcar erupted. Two willful citations allege failure to develop and use specific lockout/tagout procedures for workers engaged in servicing and performing maintenance activities and housekeeping issues related to the accumulation of combustible dust. Thirty-one serious citations allege hazards including failure to establish and implement procedures for employees transferring wax from railcars to holding tanks, unguarded platforms, fixed stairs not having standard guardrails, a lack of machine guarding, numerous electrical hazards, failure to fill out required permits for confined spaces, failure to guard belts, pulleys and shafts and failure to utilize restraint systems on powered industrial trucks.