Ohio workers expect to work in a safe environment, but the sad truth is that some employers don't make safety a priority. They may continue to face safety violations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and fail to make any repairs or changes until the day when an employee suffers a serious workplace injury. That was the situation at an Ohio manufacturing company when an employee's finger was severely injured despite previous safety violations.
An OSHA investigation performed at a metal stamping plant in Valley City found that employees were repeatedly exposed to moving parts of machinery with no safety mechanisms in place. This was the fourth OSHA violation that the plant has received since 2012.
OSHA is proposing a $70,000 fine for the latest incident, which happened on March 2. A 55-year-old employee lost his left index finger after weld clamps crushed it. After this accident, OSHA investigated the workplace and found that the safety mechanisms that were previously proposed could have prevented the accident.
While the injured worker will likely be able to receive workers' compensation benefits to pay for medical expenses and lost wages caused the incident, there is a continued risk of injury if the company fails to make any changes and the employees continue to work in an unsafe environment. Workers should be ready to exercise their legal rights if it's the case that they feel unsafe at work and make complaints to management but nothing ever changes. With so much at stake, it's easier and less costly for companies to make the required changes in the first place.
Source: Ohio.com, "Fine proposed for Medina County company where worker lost finger in accident," May 26, 2015
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