The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Nov. 3 proposed penalties of $146,979 for three violations of safety standards at a Klosterman facility in St. Bernard, according to a Thursday news release from a U.S. Department of Labor spokesman.
OSHA inspectors discovered July 7 that Klosterman workers were exposed to the same hazards that on May 29 resulted in a 28-year-old maintenance worker sustaining injury and later having his right arm amputated while cleaning a wrapping machine.
OSHA found the company failed to conduct periodic inspections of machine lockout and tag out procedures, as well as failing to reduce compressed air for cleaning to 30 pounds per square inch, officials stated in the Thursday news release.
“A 28-year-old worker suffered a permanent and debilitating injury because his employer failed to follow required safety procedures and isolate energy to this machine before allowing workers to clean it,” said Ken Montgomery, OSHA’s area director in Cincinnati. “Just as tragic is the fact that the company failed to reevaluate its machine safety procedures and continued to expose other workers to the same hazard even after this young man lost part of his arm. Klosterman needs to make immediate changes to its safety procedures and protect workers on the job.”
Klosterman has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, contest the findings of the investigation and request an informal conference with Montgomery.
Klosterman representatives did not immediately respond to The Enquirer's 1 p.m. request for comment.
