New Jersey manufacturer fined by safety inspectors
In our last post we discussed the importance of hiring an experienced New Jersey workers’ compensation attorney to help you after you suffer a workplace injury. A workers’ compensation attorney can help injured New Jersey workers obtain the compensation that they deserve.
Although workers’ compensation is available for workers who are injured in any type of workplace, workers in the manufacturing industry often face the most severe personal injuries from workplace accidents. Heavy machinery and tools are among the many things that can injure a worker on a jobsite, which is why federal safety inspectors are constantly monitoring the conditions in local manufacturing facilities.
A recent inspection of a Newton, New Jersey ring manufacturing facility turned up a vast variety of health and safety violations. Disappointed inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for 21 violations including blocked exit routes and lack of proper machine guards.
“These hazards should be immediately addressed to ensure a safe and healthful workplace for employees,” said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA’s Parsippany Area Office. “OSHA will continue to hold employers responsible when they violate federal laws.”
Approximately 24 workers were employed at the ring manufacturing facility. Inspectors say that the workers were exposed to very severe workplace injuries including electrocution due to inadequate safety training and inadequately inspected power presses. Any injuries arising out of these health and safety hazards could have been very grave and prevented a worker from continuing his or her duties at the facility.
Source: OSHA, “US Labor Department’s OSHA cites Newton, NJ, manufacturer for workplace safety and health violations, proposes nearly $49,000 in fines,” Region 2 News Release: 11-1787-NEW (OSHA 12-004), Jan. 10, 2012
