Texas Furniture Manufacturer Fined $249.6K for Exposing Workers to Amputation Hazards

Federal officials issued five citations against Texas furniture design and manufacturing company and fined the firm more than $249,000 for alleged workplace safety violations.

OSHA said while MooreCo Inc. in Temple, Texas, had been given multiple opportunities in the past to stop exposing its workers to amputation hazards, an investigation into a recent serious injury found little has changed.

Responding to a complaint, the OSHA investigation on April 20, 2021, found an employee suffered a broken finger when their hand was caught in a machine. The employee’s injury occurred while feeding raw materials into a process line that glues furniture parts. Inspectors determined that the company removed guarding and failed to follow hazardous energy control procedures to prevent sudden machine start-up or movement during maintenance and servicing.

Following the inspection, OSHA cited the company for three repeat violations related to energy control and two serious violations for failing to follow lockout/tagout procedures and provide machine guarding to protect workers from the moving parts.

MooreCo Inc. faces $249,657 in proposed fines.

OSHA cited the company for similar violations in 2015 and 2018.

Furniture Maker, Staffing Agency Fined $161K for Texas Workplace Hazards

Founded in 1985 and rebranded as MooreCo Inc. in 2007, the company designs and manufactures furniture for commercial use in offices, schools and other locations, as well as custom project design. Its clients include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, NASA, Amazon and Apple.

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.

Source: OSHA

Topics Texas Manufacturing