OSHA cites Goodyear plant for five safety violations

ReliablePlant news wires, January 14, 2008

 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $52,000 in penalties against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for five safety violations discovered during an inspection of the company's manufacturing facility in Social Circle, Ga.

Inspectors cited the plant for two repeat violations and proposed $42,500 in penalties after they determined that management had failed to perform and certify periodic inspections of its energy control procedures and employees were using a production machine that lacked the proper safety guards. The company had been cited for similar failures after an inspection in 2006.

"OSHA expects management to take a proactive approach to employees' safety," said Gei-Thae Breezley, director of the agency's Atlanta-East Area Office. "Dangerous situations can be avoided if management conducts periodic inspections of their equipment and facilities as required by federal law."

OSHA also cited the plant for two serious safety violations with proposed penalties of $8,500 for using defective equipment cords that exposed employees to electrical hazards. An "other-than-serious" violation was proposed with a $1,000 penalty for failing to correctly maintain OSHA logs. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. An other-than-serious violation is a hazardous condition that would probably not cause death or serious physical harm but would have an immediate relationship to the safety and health of employees.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to contest them and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.