OSHA Fines New York Facility for Exposing Workers to Lead

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed nearly $48,000 in fines to the Tulip Corp. for violation safety regulations. OSHA officials inspected Tulip’s plastic container manufacturing plant in Niagara Falls, New York and issued nine serious health and safety violations. Violations included exposing workers to airborne lead and other toxins.

OSHA decided to inspect the facility following an anonymous complaint from a worker at the plant. A sample of the air and discovered the amount of lead was 1.7 times greater than the maximum acceptable amount under OSHA regulations. Other citations were issued for a failure by the employer to provide workers with proper personal protective equipment and a failure to keep surfaces clean.

“It is the employer’s responsibility to minimize exposure levels, train employees and ensure all safeguards are in place,” said OSHA’s Arthur J. Dube.

Employers must be diligent when it comes to the handling of hazardous chemicals. It is unacceptable that the levels of lead in the air were so high, and to make it worse the employees lacked safety equipment to protect them.

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Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp attorneys