Wilbar International Hit with 20 Workplace Safety Violations

A Hauppauge swimming pool manufacturer has been cited for 20 workplace safety violations by the U.S. Department of Labor after one of its employees was injured in March.

is facing $106,200 in proposed fines as the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors claim to have found 19 serious violations and one other-than-serious violation over a six-month investigation. OSHA started its investigation into the company's plant on March 10, after an employee's fingers were crushed while feeding material into a power press.

"This case illustrates what can and does happen when machinery is not adequately guarded and energy control procedures are deficient," said Anthony Ciuffo, OSHA's Long Island area director. "I want employers on Long Island to take note: This is exactly the type of injury OSHA's machine guarding and energy control requirements are designed to prevent."

Inspectors claim to have found inadequate guards on the power presses, creating pinch points, and guards in place did not prevent entry into the press's points of operation. Also, Wilbar is accused of not providing adequate training in safe work methods and safety procedures for press operators and maintenance/setup workers. The company allegedly did not regularly inspect its machines and lacked energy control training and hardware.

Serious violations not related to the accident include electrical hazards, absence of a hearing conservation program, improper storage of compressed gas cylinders and blocked exits. The 19 serious violations, those that have a "substantial probability" of causing death or serious physical injury, carry fine of $105,300.

In addition, US. Department of Labor has cited Wilbar with a $900 fine for incomplete recording of workplace injuries and illnesses.

Wilbar International's management had no comment on the citations. They company has 15 business days  to comply, meet with OSHA's area director or contest the investigation's findings.

The manufacturer was cited for similar workplace safety violations by OSHA in January 2002, according to Ted Fitzgerald, acting regional director of the U.S. Department of Labor. It paid a $7,890 fine for seven serious violations and 10 other-than-serious violations including machine guards, hazard communication and hazardous energy controls, which were brought into compliance by February 2002.

"The overall issues or concerns would be the same. The standards have not changed," Fitzgerald said. "The issue of concern is that you need to make sure certain machinery is guarded when employees are expected to perform maintenance."