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Republic Steel has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over alleged health and safety violations at four of their facilities in Ohio and New York.
Photo of an inspector
OSHA conducted an inspection of the four facilities in fall of 2013, after an employee was seriously injured from falling through the roof of the Republic Steel plant in Lorain, Ohio. During the investigation, OSHA found more than 100 total violations, including failure to provide fall protection, failure to provide lockout/tag out procedures and failure to provide machine guarding.
Based on the terms of the settlement, Republic Steel has agreed to pay $2.4 million for all of the violations. The company also agreed to pay additional fees if they fail to resolve all safety concerns found during the OSHA investigation.
Beyond the fees and fines, Republic Steel has agreed to additional measures to help protect their employees. The company has agreed to:
Hire additional health and safety staff
Establish a health and safety management program to better identify hazardous working conditions
Inform employees of the right to refuse to perform work that they reasonably and in good faith believe is unsafe or unhealthful without fear of retaliation
Meet quarterly with OSHA staff to make sure they stay compliant with their settlement agreement
“The terms of this agreement to improve conditions and training are unprecedented,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. “The company has committed to supporting extensive worker participation, an important role for the joint health and safety committee, and implementation of a comprehensive safety and health program to better protect Republic Steel employees.”
I Have Been Injured on the Job. Who Can I Call?
Seeing a company change its culture to better protect its employees is wonderful, but sometimes workers have to stand up and demand the change themselves. If you or a loved one has been exposed to unsafe working conditions, please call Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC to discuss your case today.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus Workers Comp Attorneys