A recent investigation by federal health and safety inspectors found that workers at a Chatsworth, Illinois, manufacturing plant were exposed to preventable workplace hazards.
Minnesota-based Prinsco Inc. faces up to $75,000 in fines for safety violations at its Illinois plant. Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found several disturbing safety hazards at the Chatsworth facility including inadequate machine guards, inadequate guardrails, and improperly labeled electrical equipment.
The guarding hazards were among the most severe types of safety hazards found at the plant. Improperly guarded machines can expose workers to amputation injuries. An amputation injury can be career-ending and often results in a third-party claim against the manufacturer of the hazardous manufacturing equipment.
Federal inspectors say that the lack of machine guards and other safety violations have contributed to many injuries at the Illinois facility.
“Employers such as Prinsco that record a higher-than-average rate of days lost due to injuries demonstrate a need to re-evaluate their safety procedures,” said Tom Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Peoria. “It is the responsibility of every employer to know and correct safety and health hazards that exist in their workplaces.”
Prinsco employs around 40 workers at the Chatsworth manufacturing plant where it manufacturers pipes used for drainage in the landscaping, agriculture and construction industries.
Source: OSHA, “US Labor Department’s OSHA proposes $75,000 in fines to Minnesota pipe manufacturer for machine guarding, other hazards at Chatsworth, Ill., facility,” Region 5 News Release: 12-2177-CHI