Sept. 12, 2016
THOMSON, Ga. – Federal safety inspectors often find that permanent and temporary employees in the auto parts industry face common workplace dangers such as falls, amputations and electrocution hazards – a trend U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found continues at a Thomson manufacturer of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat-Chrysler, Subaru and General Motors parts.
Acting on a complaint and as part of the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program on Safety Hazards in the Auto Parts Industry, OSHA initiated another, new inspection at HP Pelzer Automotive Systems Inc. in March 2016 and cited the company and a staffing agency it employs with 24 safety violations. Sizemore Inc., the staffing agency, had approximately 300 temporary employees assigned to HP Pelzer at the time of the inspection. In May 2016, the Augusta-based agency terminated its contract for reasons including safety concerns for its employees.
HP Pelzer and Sizemore face a total of $704,610 in penalties.
“Employers must ensure they provide safe and healthy working conditions – at all times – and not just during or immediately following an OSHA onsite inspection,” said William Fulcher, OSHA’s area director in the Atlanta-East Office. “This is the third inspection of the HP Pelzer plant where OSHA has identified numerous hazards, many repeated, related to unsafe working conditions. Employees, whether permanent or temporary, should not have to be concerned whether they will get sick, injured or killed while providing for their families. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe and healthful workplace.”
OSHA issued 12 repeated citations to HP Pelzer for its failure to:
Develop, implement and utilize written procedures to prevent machinery from starting-up during maintenance or servicing.
Conduct periodic inspections of the energy control procedures at least annually.
Train employees performing work on hazardous energy sources.
Protect employees from thermal skin burns due to contact with hot metallic surfaces.
Ensure the repair or replacement of electrical equipment for safe operational condition.
Protect workers from laceration and amputation hazards due to unguarded machine parts.
The agency also cited HP Pelzer for eight serious violations for exposing workers to fall hazards, not providing electrical protective equipment and failing to train workers about electrical hazards related to their activities.
OSHA issued four serious citations to Sizemore for exposing workers to fall hazards, not providing training on hazardous energy sources, exposing employees to amputation, laceration and electrical live parts.
HP Pelzer Automotive Systems meets the listed criteria for inclusion in OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program, which focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations. Under the program, the agency may inspect any of the employer’s facilities if it has reasonable grounds to believe there are similar violations. The companies have 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The SVEP allows for an assessment of any new information obtained post-citation issuance that could change the citation and the employer’s proposed inclusion in the program.
The citations for the two companies can be viewed at:
https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/hppelzerautomotivesystems_1133070.pdf
https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/sizemore_1133071.pdf
HP Pelzer employs approximately 10,000 workers across nine facilities in the U.S. and Mexico. The Thomson facility manufacturers car panels, dashboards and insulation products.
To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Atlanta-East Area Office at 770-493-6644.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.