El Paso steel recycler fined more than US$364,000

EL PASO, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a metal fabricator in El Paso for repeatedly exposing its employees to falling machine hazards and other safety hazards.

OSHA’s most recent inspection of Kyoei Steel LTD found 19 violations. The agency even proposed penalties of $364,078.

Based in Osaka, Japan, Kyoei Steel LTD operates as Vinton Steel in El Paso, where the company employs about 400 workers represented by United Steelworkers Local 9424.

The organization’s investigators opened an inspection of Kyoei Steel LTD on October 18, 2021, after receiving notification from the employer that a worker was treated at a medical facility after suffering second-degree burns to his left hand. Inspectors determined that the employee was using a heat torch when oxygen leaked from a malfunctioning hose, causing a flash fire in the El Paso plant’s roll and bearing shop.

The agency determined that the company failed to provide safety devices for welding equipment and exposed workers to fire hazards.

OSHA also received a report from the employer of an amputation injury on Jan. 10, 2022, and a complaint on Jan. 26, 2022, alleging that workers were forced to jump approximately three feet from a ladder onto a crane platform that did not have a safety railing system, exposing them to fall hazards.

After 10 incidents in the past five years, including five amputation injuries, OSHA placed Kyoei Steel LTD in its Serious Violator Enforcement Program.

“Placement in OSHA’s serious violator program is a designation given to employers who show disregard for employee safety and health. The company must immediately assess its facilities for hazards, implement safety procedures and train workers on how to follow those processes,” said area director Diego Alvarado Jr. in El Paso, Texas.

OSHA cited the metal fabricator for two serious repeat violations for failure to provide fall protection and machinery operation, as well as failure to use lockout/tagout procedures, failure to provide fire safety, and failure to periodically inspect fire extinguishers and electrical hazards.

The employer also failed to fit-test its workers to wear respirators required by their licenses when entering confined spaces, nor did it annually check those required areas, nor did it complete entry permits before allowing employees to enter.

The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source: MEXICONOW Staff