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Bostik Inc., a US adhesive manufacturer, agreed to pay $600,000 in federal fines for safety violations after an explosion at a Massachusetts facility last year, according to the Salem News. The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspected the facility in September 2011 and issued 50 violations and a $917,000 fine. The fine was reduced to $600,000 to prevent a lengthy legal process. According to OSHA the reduction is not uncommon and “reflects in part the employer’s willingness to put in resources to correct the issues that should have been addressed in the first place.”
Bostik has agreed to no longer use its direct salvation process at the facility in Massachusetts, which lead to the explosion. The explosion occurred after a valve was accidentally left open, releasing flammable vapors. The explosion could be heard from miles away, and four workers were injured.
After a six-month investigation, OSHA determined that the most serious violations were in Bostik’s safety management program.
“The settlement commits Bostik to strengthening its PSM program to prevent the possibility of a similar accident in the future, and to apprise us of its progress in abating the hazards,” said Massachusetts Regional OSHA Director Jeffrey A. Erskine.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp attorneys.