A Fostoria, Ohio-based vinyl tile manufacturer faces $545,000 in fines for safety violations, including multiple "severe amputations," at its plant dating back to 2017.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited NOX US LLC, a subsidiary of Seoul, South Korea-based NOX Corp., for workplace safety failures after investigations prompted by a report of a finger amputation in February 2023.
"Investigators learned a 56-year-old machine operator suffered the injury when their gloved finger became caught in a chain and sprocket system that didn't have required safety guards in place," an Aug. 24 news release by the U.S. Department of Labor said.
Since 2017, 14 workers have suffered injuries at the plant, including "several" cases of "severe amputations."
"After the March inspection and a required follow-up in May 2023 stemming from a prior inspection, OSHA cited the company for three willful violations, two repeat violations, three serious and two other-than-serious violations," the release said.
The violations included "exposing workers to machine hazards by failing to employ adequate lockout and tag-out procedures, train workers properly and guard machinery as required by law," it added.
NOX US is contesting a citation for violations in October 2022 for which OSHA proposed $1.2 million in penalties.
"With the March and May inspections still in process, OSHA opened another inspection at the facility on July 20, 2023, after receiving a report that a worker had suffered chemical burns," the release said.
NOX Corp., which manufactures vinyl flooring for customers in more than 50 countries, opened the Fostoria plant in November 2015. The plant has about 200 employees.
OSHA added the plant to its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which focuses resources to inspect employers that have demonstrated indifference to their OSH Act obligations, by committing willful, repeated, or failure-to-abate violations in 2017.
"Despite repeated citations and penalties, the company continues to expose employees to dangerous hazards and allows them to operate unguarded machines," OSHA's Chicago-based Regional Administrator, Bill Donovan, said in the release.
"NOX US is failing to meet their legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment, and they must change the way it operates before another employee is needlessly injured," Donovan added.
NOX US did not immediately respond to request for comment by Plastics News.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its 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, the release said.