A pet care products maker faces $278,000 in penalties after an employee suffered severe facial burns from a spray of molten plastic while cleaning a structural foam molding machine, federal safety regulators said.
An employee at Petmate and its Doskocil Manufacturing Inc. factory in Arlington, Texas, was hit in the face with hot plastic as three workers were using a pry bar to clear material from a molding machine, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a June 17 news release.
OSHA said the employees "were using a pry bar to break off excess plastic, called drool, as they cleaned a structural foam machine when an injection nozzle dislodged and sprayed molten plastic into [the] face of one worker."
The worker suffered "severe facial burns" in the second and third degree in the December incident, OSHA said.
"Petmate's failures to comply with federal safety regulations exposed its employees to serious dangers, resulting in one worker suffering severe injuries," said Timothy Minor, OSHA area director for its Fort Worth, Texas, office. "When proper safety processes and procedures are ignored, industrial workplaces can be dangerous and unforgiving for employees."
The company did not comment on the specifics of the incident but in a statement questioned the "stated severity" of the citations.
"Petmate takes the health and safety of our employees incredibly seriously. We cannot comment on specifics related to employee matters," the company said. "That said, we do not necessarily agree with these citations and their stated severity; we are working diligently with OSHA to resolve the issues and concerns expeditiously."
OSHA cited the company for one willful and eight serious violations, including for failing to provide eye protection for workers using structural foam machines and failing to develop safety procedures for cleaning and maintenance.
It also said the company did not isolate energy sources to protect workers nor keep working areas free from slip and fall hazards.
The company has 15 days from receipt of the citations to contest them.
The single-largest proposed penalty is for $161,000 for not developing machine specific procedures for controlling hazardous energy for its blow molding and injection molding machines. In a detailed citation report, OSHA termed that a "willful-serious" violation.
OSHA said the company exposed maintenance technicians, tool setters and process technicians to hazardous conditions.
Petmate, which is based in Arlington, manufactures and distributes pet care products like plastic kennels, crates, dog houses and feeding and watering equipment under brands including Chuckit!, Pet Qwerks, Healthy Chews, Gamma2 and JW.
It was founded in 1959 as Doskocil Manufacturing and is now owned by Los Angeles-based investment firm Platinum Equity, which bought Petmate in 2021.