Olympia Chimney Supply Inc, a Scranton,
Pennsylvania company, again exposes employees to serious
hazards and injuries, says OSHA
Dec. 22, 2014
SCRANTON,
PA. – In the past few years, Olympia Chimney Supply Inc.
employees have suffered crushed fingers, amputation of multiple fingertips and
entire fingers, but serious safety violations persist at the Scranton-based
company. A June 2014 inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety
and Health Administration found Olympia workers again exposed to a number of
serious machine hazards.
Spurred by yet another safety complaint, investigators
initiated their review under the agency’s National Emphasis Program on
Amputations. For failure to take proper precautions to prevent the dangers
of amputation, laceration and crushed fingers, Olympia was cited for 14 safety
violations with fines totaling $49,000.
“Olympia’s record reveals that employees have
suffered more than 20 injuries in the past few years, including lacerations,
crushed and pinched fingers, multiple fingertip amputations and the amputation
of several fingers,” said Mark Stelmack, director of OSHA’s Wilkes-Barre Area
Office. “This company must do a better job of protecting its employee from
these serious, yet preventable, injuries.”
OSHA inspectors found several machines at the facility
were not guarded properly, and discovered deficiencies in
the company’s lockout/tagout program, which prevents inadvertent
machine start-ups during maintenance. As a result, OSHA issued citations for 13
serious violations.A serious violation occurs when there is substantial
probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard
about which the employer knew or should have known. An additional citation was
issued for an electrical hazard.
Olympia manufactures materials used for chimney
construction and restoration. The company has 15 business days from receipt of
its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet informally with OSHA’s
area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety
and Health Review Commission.
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 Wilkes-Barre Area Office at570-826-6538.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are
responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.
OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women
by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and
assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.