Manufacturing Plant Cited for 29 Alleged Serious Violations Issued $109,500 in Proposed Fines

An OSHA inspection found that a worker was exposed to a potential fall of 50 feet from a roof as a OSHA says it conducted two inspections, one under its Site-Specific Targeting Program and the other in response to a Dec. 23, 2008 incident in which two employees were struck by a 700-pound forging that shot up in the air. The workers, who were injured, had been attempting to free the forging from a malfunctioning die on a power press. The serious citations relate to alleged damaged support structures for overhead cranes; damaged support frames for large metal dies; slipping and tripping hazards; unguarded floors and platforms; missing access stairs and a damaged access ladder. Other alleged violations include non-functioning emergency exit lights; an overloaded fork truck; an overloaded lifting attachment; defective wire rope slings; unguarded machinery; improper storage of compressed gas cylinders; electrical hazards and failure to develop procedures to prevent the build-up and release of hazardous energy generated by a press during servicing.

[Wyman Gordon Co., Grafton, MA. Release number 09-262-BOS/BOS 2009-068, March 18, 2009]