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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations to the Dover Chemical Corp. for violations at its facility in Ohio, according to sources. On May 21, an unexpected release of hazardous gasses from the facility in Dover caused a temporary shutdown of the plant as well as the nearby Highway 77.
OSHA inspected the facility following the incident and cited 47 health and safety violations. Officials determined that a breach of polyvinyl chloride plumbing caused the leak. Other violations include failure to correct hazards found in compliance audits, a lack of safety procedures, uncovered openings and failure to implement OSHA procedures. Proposed fines total $545,000.
“By disregarding OSHA’s common-sense regulations, this employer endangered the health and safety of the facility’s workers,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “While I’m grateful that nobody was injured from the incident, I’m alarmed by the egregious nature of the violations we uncovered during our inspection.”
These are very serious violations, hence the enormous fine. Dover Chemical is fortunate there were no fatalities or catastrophic injuries as a result of this incident. If you or a loved one has been injured on the job, please contact our firm for a free consultation.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp lawyers.