Albion Mill Safety Violations Cited
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to Pennsylvania-based feed mill operators, Albion Mill. The citations issued for the most recent February 10th inspection, some of which being repeat offenses, were as a follow-up to a pair of previous inspections, conducted in July and August of 2013, respectively. OSHA Erie Area director, Theresa A. Naim, said, “Our follow-up inspection at Albion Mill found (that) employees continue to be exposed to severe combustible dust issues. In some areas, six inches, or more, of dust had accumulated, creating a dangerous risk of explosion. This company had ample opportunity, time, and guidance to correct the hazardous conditions but chose business-as-usual, by disregarding the safety of its employees.”
The total proposed penalty for the Albion Mill citations in the 2016 inspection is, $195,460.
The respective classification of those citations, processed in the recent 2016 inspection, were:
· (5) willful
· (12) serious
· (1) other-than-serious
· (9) repeat violations
Willful violations for Albion Mill included:
· Employees without proper safety equipment
· Lack of proper guarding for belts, pulleys, and shafts
· Failure to develop/implement a housekeeping program to prevent combustible dust hazards
· Lack of inspection and service records
Repeat violations included:
· Lack of proper fire extinguisher training
· An unguarded, 28-inch deep pit
· Electrical hazards
· Lack of proper chemical hazard training
· No written and implemented hazard communication program
· Lack of properly established lockout/tagout procedure
The serious violations included:
· Lack of properly established lockout/tagout procedure
· Unguarded machine parts
· Use of damaged equipment
· Employee exposure to fall hazards
· Improper storage of propane cylinders
· Employees lacking proper permit/certification for entry to grain-handling bin
· Lack of proper engulfment hazard training
Combustion is a serious concern for both the employer and employee dealing with potentially hazardous chemicals. There are a variety of training and certification courses offered that assist in proper training on compliance for the general industry workplace. Furthermore, training for otherwise avoidable repeat citations for issues like fire-extinguisher training is also available. Consider an OSHA-approved training course, today.