OSHA cites Saehaesung for Safety Violations
Posted: Tue 3:16 PM, Jan 06, 2015
MOBILE, Ala. – Auto parts supplier
Saehaesung Alabama Inc. was cited for exposing workers to amputation,
electrical and struck-by hazards after two separate inspections at its
Andalusia and LaFayette facilities. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational
Safety and Health Administration inspectors found 10 safety violations in June
and July 2014 as part of the agency's Regional Emphasis Program for Safety
Hazards in the Auto Parts Industry*. Proposed penalties total $102,000.
"Employers cannot wait for an
OSHA inspection to identify the hazards that expose their employees to serious
injury or death," said Joseph Roesler, OSHA's area director in Mobile. "Implementing
preventive programs and systems to ensure such hazards are identified and
corrected as part of the company's day-to-day operations is imperative and
makes good business sense."
OSHA issued three repeat citations.
The Andalusia plant was cited for failure to develop specific procedures to
protect workers from moving machine parts during service or maintenance work.
The Andalusia and LaFayette facilities were also cited for exposing workers to
amputation hazards* by failing to provide required guards on welding machines.
A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the
same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any
facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
Three serious citations were issued
to each facility for storage of material on steel racks with damaged support
columns and no floor anchor, which exposed employees to struck-by hazards. The
LaFayette plant also received a citation for exposing workers to electric shock
hazards by not protecting them from damaged wiring while operating a press
welding machine. OSHA issued four other citations for a damaged electrical
cord, breaker panel and emergency stop switch, and for failure to train
employees working with chemical hazards.
Serious violations occur 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.
In 2010 and 2011, OSHA conducted
inspections at the Andalusia plant and issued citations for machine guarding,
industrial trucks and failure to protect employees from moving machine parts
during service or maintenance work.
Headquartered in Daegu, Korea,
Saehaesung Alabama manufactures automotive chassis and body parts for Hyundai
Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. The Andalusia and LaFayette facilities employ
365 workers.
The company has 15 business days
from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a
conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the
independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. To view the
current citations, visit
http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Saehaesung_Alabama_983750.pdf*
http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Saehaesung_Alabama_987808.pdf*
http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Saehaesung_Alabama_987808.pdf*
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 agency's Mobile Area Office at
251-441-6131.
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.