Half Million-Dollar Penalty For Manufacturer

The company was cited by the agency for 5 repeat violations, 5 serious violations, and was condemned to the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP).

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced $503,380 in proposed penalties for a Chicago container manufacturer in response to reports of four separate workers suffering injuries at their facility.

According to OSHA, 15 workers for the employer have experienced amputations in the past five years, but specifics of the injuries were not reported.

The employer is BWAY Corporation and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.  BWAY employs about 4,000 workers in 27 facilities located in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

The company was cited by the agency for 5 repeat violations, 5 serious violations, and was condemned to the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP).

Lockout/tagout and machine guarding violations caught most of OSHA’s attention.  BWAY Corporation allegedly failed to train workers in lockout/tagout procedures, which prevent machines and equipment from unexpected startup, and insufficient machine guarding on belts, pulleys, chains, sprockets and on a mechanical power press.

OSHA reports finding one worker who had two broken bones in his hand as a result of a piece of machinery crushing it.  Another three workers experienced amputations from allegedly unguarded chain and sprocket assemblies.

BWAY Corporation has 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with the local OSHA Area Director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Safety First Consulting is a contributor of SM Corridor News and helps businesses identify OSHA compliance issues in their workplaces, manage their safety programs, and we become accountable for the results. In addition to offering custom written safety programs for companies, Safety First Consulting provides required safety training, industrial hygiene sampling, noise sampling, and workplace inspections. You can read more from Robert Box under Business.