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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited AC&S Inc., a chemical company, with safety violations following a fatal accident at its facility in Nitro, West Virginia. The worker, identified as Rex Wilcoxen, died when he inhaled nitrogen through his air hood while working with a sand blaster.
OSHA cited AC&S for 12 safety violations, including a failure to properly label gas systems, a failure to ensure breathing systems were working properly and failure to provide proper hazardous chemical training. Proposed fines total $42,700.
“AC&S has a responsibility to ensure that its workers are safeguarded from workplace hazards and by not properly labeling its gas systems failed to protect a worker who ended up losing his life. That is intolerable,” said OSHA Director Prentice Cline. “OSHA’s standards are designed to prevent this kind of tragic accident.”
AC&S has 15 business days to agree to pay the fine or request a hearing with OSHA.
“As safety is paramount, we began working with OSHA immediately following the accident to address its concerns and do all that we can to ensure that this type of accident will never happen again,” AC&S said in a released statement.
If you need assistance in filing for workers comp, please contact our firm for a free consultation.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp lawyers.