Furniture manufacturer, MooreCo Inc., and Milwaukee-based Manpower Group US Inc., a staffing agency, have been cited by federal safety regulators for exposing temporary workers to workplace hazards at a MooreCo plant in Temple, Texas. Combined penalties total $161,000.
Twice in 14 months, temporary workers at MooreCo were seriously injured when inadequately guarded machines pulled them in, removing skin from the wrist up to the shoulder in the most recent incident, and from the wrist down in an earlier incident. As a result of the earlier incident, the employee’s fingertips were also amputated.
Following a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection, the agency cited MooreCo for three repeated and six serious violations and placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
OSHA cited repeated violations for exposing workers to moving machine parts and failing to shut down machinery properly. The serious violations involved failing to conduct periodic inspections of energy control procedures to ensure machines would not start up during servicing; using personal protective equipment for corrosive chemical splashes; and repairing recognized electrical hazards.
The May 2015 OSHA inspection at MooreCo was in response to an employer referral under new agency injury reporting requirements.
The agency also cited Manpower, which provided MooreCo with workers, for one repeated violation for failing to provide machine guarding.
Proposed fines for MooreCo’s health and safety violations total $122,500 and $38,500 for Manpower.
Including temporary workers, MooreCo employs approximately 460 people at its Temple furniture manufacturing plant. Milwaukee-based Manpower Group has more than 4,000 employees nationwide.
Both employers have 15 business days from receipt of their citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Austin, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Source: OSHA
Topics Texas Commercial Lines Workers' Compensation Business Insurance
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Coverage Needed: Hundreds of Thousands in SE Now in Flood Zones With New Maps 
Zurich to Buy AIG’s Travel Insurance Business for $600 Million 
Changes at American Coastal Insurance After Florida OIR Action on ‘No-Fly List’ 
As Rates Rise, Majority of Homeowners Say Insurance Industry Is in Crisis: Survey 
