Latest news with #Flexco
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Flexco contests safety citations which amounted to $100K fine
ELKHART — Flexco Products Inc. is contesting nearly $100,000 in safety fines and denies that a worker suffered an amputation last year. The steel fabrication company received eight citations from the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a safety order issued last month. They were the result of the second inspection carried out in the space of a few months, triggered by an incident involving a worker whose hand was caught in a piece of machinery. The penalty notification claims that the employer 'failed to record an amputation that took place on an employee.' Flexco's legal counsel says the incident did not cause an amputation. 'The alleged failure to keep a record did not relate to an amputation. Instead, in May of 2024 an employee unfortunately reached beyond a guard and got his hand caught in a machine,' said attorney Dean Leazenby. 'His hand was not amputated, and the employee continues to work at Flexco.' IOSHA's safety order included a willful violation for an alleged lack of safety guarding which had allowed the employee to make contact with the moving parts of a roller leveler. The proposed penalty was elevated to $63,000 because IOSHA says it cited Flexco for a similar violation of safety standards in a June order. Leazenby said proper safety guards for the machine were in place. He said Flexco filed a petition for review contesting all eight citations in the Jan. 13 order. The dispute may go to the governor-appointed Board of Safety Review for further proceedings. 'Flexco wishes to express that it takes the safety of its workers very seriously and vigorously works to meet IOSHA regulations,' he said. Other penalties in the order include serious violations for a large standing puddle of coolant on the floor, failure to maintain copies of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals used in the workplace, and failure to provide a hazard communication program for Spanish-speaking employees in their native language as well as failure to provide proper training in Spanish on walkway surfaces. Proposed penalties added up to $99,900. Inspections were carried out at the facility at 2415 Bryant St. between July and August. The previous penalty notification was issued in May. It included serious citations related to machine guarding and lockout/tagout methods for an energy isolating device, Labor Department records show. Flexco reached an informal settlement for $5,600, which was half the proposed penalty.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Flexco faces $100K in fines after worker suffers amputation
ELKHART — Flexco Products Inc. faces nearly $100,000 in proposed penalties after state safety inspectors say the company failed to record a worker's amputation. The steel fabrication company received eight citations from the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a safety order issued last month. Inspections were carried out at the facility at 2415 Bryant St. between the date of the July incident and Aug. 28. The list of proposed penalties includes $63,000 for a knowing and serious violation for failure to provide machine guarding to protect employees. Machine guarding was not adequate to protect an employee from making contact with the moving parts of a roller leveler, according to the safety order, which was not made public until this week. An employee operating the machine suffered an amputation on July 22. The penalty was elevated because the company received a similar citation for lack of machine guarding a month earlier. Flexco also failed to record that the worker had experienced an amputation, drawing another violation with a proposed penalty of $900, according to the order. Other penalties included a serious violation for failure to keep a walking surface free of hazards, as the floor had a large standing puddle of coolant on it. The serious violation carries a proposed penalty of $6,300. Another serious safety violation with a $6,300 proposed penalty was given for failure to maintain copies of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals used in the workplace, including coolant and propane. The company failed to provide a hazard communication program for Spanish-speaking employees in their native language, resulting in them not being fully trained on the safe use of chemicals, and failed to provide proper training in Spanish on walkway surfaces, according to the order. Both violations carry a $6,300 proposed penalty. Two serious violations with a proposed penalty of $5,400 were also handed down in the order. Flexco failed to retrain or evaluate powered forklift operators after three years beyond their initial certification or previous evaluation, and a fire exit was found to be blocked by pallets and steel material. Flexco was given until Feb. 14 to abate the violations.
