In June 2013, OSHA issued statements regarding citations to five companies where training might have helped save a worker’s life. These real-life examples put emphasis on how important it is to complete safety training and apply that knowledge to the job.
1. OSHA proposed fines of 157,000 against a plumbing company following a January 16, 2013 incident in which a worker died from injuries sustained when a trench collapsed at a job site in Nebraska. The company was cited for failing to train workers on trenching hazards and four other safety violations.
2. OSHA cited waste treatment facility for 22 safety and health violations and proposed $325,710 in fines following a December 28, 2012 fire and explosion in an Ohio waste treatment facility. A worker suffered from fatal burns. The violations included failure to provide new training to employees working with waste materials, failure to train workers on the selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and failure to provide training and PPE to employees assigned to work on energized circuits.
3. Penalties totaling $116,200 were proposed against a lumber company in Texas following a December 2012 incident in which a worker was killed after being struck by a broken band saw blade. The 17 safety violations include failure to provide easily understood lockout/tagout training for energy control and to certify that energy control training was completed and current.
4. OSHA cited a trucking company in North Dakota for failing to train workers on chemical hazards and precautions after a worker was fatally injured while cleaning the inside of a crude oil tanker that exploded.
5. OSHA cited a tool manufacturer for 17 safety violations, including lack of training, after a maintenance worker was electrocuted in Missouri.
Read more about these citations.
