OSHA has fined a New York metal fabrication shop for failing to take care of serious violations of workplace safety hazards they were fined over in the past after a worker was seriously injured on the job last year. OSHA issued a number of fines and citations to the company since the 2011 worker injury.
The company, Simtek Inc. was fined during an OSHA inspection in 2011. Investigators found 20 workplace safety violations that resulted in fines totally more than $60,000. Some violations from that investigation included missing energy control procedures and a number of electrical hazards. A follow up inspection in January 2012 found that hazards had not tended to the violations and did not provide proper safety training to its workers. The follow up investigation resulted in nearly $110,000 in additional fines. Several more fines have been subsequently assessed for repeat violations.
OSHA has reviewed the safety standards several times since the initial 2011 investigation and found that Simtek has ignored multiple warnings and citations. Hazards in the workplace continue to be a problem. Investigators have discovered locked exit doors, misuse of electrical equipment, and power cords which are left unprotected. A more serious violation included circuit breakers blocked by a gas tank and a welding machine. These violations can result in serious harm to workers and even prove fatal.
Simtek is now on the OSHA Severe Violator Enforcement Program which requires follow-up inspections to gauge law compliance. The program also addresses repeated and willful violations of safety standards.
