Auto parts manufacturer and temp agency expose workers to
electrocution, serious falls and other hazards.
OSHA inspection results in more than $158K in fines for 21 violations
AUBURN, Ala. — During an inspection of an automobile parts manufacturer, federal inspectors found that permanent and temporary employees faced electrocution, having their hands and limbs disabled or amputated by moving machine parts, and dangerous falls while working at the SCA Inc. facility in Auburn. SCA manufactures auto parts, such as blowers, heaters and evaporators for Hyundai, Kia and Ford Motor Co.
SCA Inc. plant in Auburn, Alabama, where workers were exposed to several safety hazards.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the inspection in October 2014 as part of its Regional Emphasis Program for Safety Hazards in the Auto Parts Industry* and cited SCA Inc. and Liberty Staffing LLC for 21 safety violations. Liberty Staffing, of Auburn, provides approximately 115 employees to SCA. Proposed penalties for the two companies total $158,020.
"Host employers, as well as the temporary staffing agencies, have the responsibility to protect their employees from being exposed to hazards in the workplace and should not wait for an OSHA inspection to identify safety and health deficiencies," said Joseph Roesler, OSHA's area director in Mobile.
OSHA issued four repeated citations to SCA for exposing workers to falls up to approximately 10 feet while working from a platform without a ladder access gate or chain guard and failing to reduce the compressed air for cleaning to 30 pounds per square inch. SCA was also issued repeated citations for not having standard railings installed on open-sided floors or platforms and exposing workers to shock from live electrical parts.
Liberty Staffing was issued serious citations for these same two violations. A repeated 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. SCA was cited for these same hazards in 2010 and 2011.
SCA and Liberty Staffing were each issued serious citations for allowing workers to operate the injection molding machine without protection; not securing gas cylinders to prevent them from being knocked over; and failing to provide a functional eye and body wash station. SCA was also cited for exposing employees to accidental machine startup from potential stored energy while servicing or conducting maintenance activities. 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. View the current citations at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/LibertyStaffing_1000184_0129_15.pdf* http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/SCAInc_999838_0129_15.pdf*
OSHA has inspected SCA four times previously since 2008. The company received citations for machine guarding, hazardous energy, guarding floor and wall openings and fall hazards. Liberty Staffing has no prior OSHA inspection history.
The companies have 15 business days from receipt of their 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 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.