OSHA cited New Hampshire-based furniture manufacturer DCI for exposing employees to crushing and struck-by hazards at its manufacturing plant in Lisbon, N.H., according to a news release from the agency. The manufacturer was cited for one willful and 36 serious violations after an employee injury and faces a total of $378,488 in penalties from OSHA.
OSHA initiated an investigation after an employee suffered serious injuries after being pulled into an automated woodcutting machine. Investigators found a supervisor had disabled a light curtain on the machine, preventing the machine from stopping when workers came too close to the point of operation. This infraction resulted in a willful violation citation from OSHA. Investigators also identified obstructed emergency exit routes, a lack of worker eye, hand and face protection, inadequate hearing and respirator safeguards, and a lack of procedures and training to prevent unintended activation of machinery among other hazards.
"Worker safety must always be an employer's priority," said OSHA Concord, N.H., area office director Rosemarie O. Cole. "Proactively addressing hazards achieves this goal."
DCI has 15 business days from the receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with their OSHA area director, or contest the findings.
