• Home
• Workers
• Regulations
• Enforcement
• Data & Statistics
• Training
• Publications
• Newsroom
• Small Business

News Release USDL: 96-67
Thursday, February 22, 1996
Contact: Frank Kane (202) 219-8151

Tube Products Corp. in Troy, Ohio, has agreed to pay $750,000 in penalties and to correct safety hazards and inadequate employee training discovered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in an investigation following reports of numerous worker injuries. The firm's logs showed that in one year there were 108 cuts, burns and flash burns.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Joseph A. Dear said, "This is what we hope to call a 'turnaround' company, where following an OSHA inspection revealing numerous violations, a company takes strong action to improve safety and health in the workplace. Not only has Tube Products agreed to abate the hazards but it also will establish a comprehensive safety and health program as well as an ongoing training program for certain employees."

Tube Products Co., a manufacturer of motor vehicle exhaust systems and manifolds, has about 800 employees. The company was cited Feb. 22, 1995 for numerous violations of OSHA safety and health standards, with proposed penalties totaling $1,257,500.

Many of the citations involved allegedly failing to properly guard pipe-fabrication equipment or to properly train employees in the operation of the equipment.

In addition to abating hazards, Tube Products agreed to develop and implement an ongoing training program for the machine operators of pipe-fabrication equipment. The company has developed a written curriculum guide for the training and retraining of the machine operators in the safe operation, potential hazards and safety features of the equipment. No one is to be assigned to operate the equipment before receiving the training.

Tube Products also agreed to conduct periodic inspections to determine the adequacy of the training and whether machine operators are using safe operating procedures while working with pipe-fabrication equipment and to ensure that the equipment remains ready to be safely operated.

If any periodic inspection reveals an operator is using deficient operating procedures, the company will either correct them immediately or implement interim protective measures to eliminate the risk of injury or accident.

If an inspection reveals the equipment is not safe or ready for use, Tube Products agrees to correct the condition prior to further use of the equipment.

Tube Products also has agreed to engage a qualified consultant to verify the company's abatement action for machine guarding and to help resolve any related issues that might arise.

Tube Products says it already has corrected many of the cited hazards and that recordable injuries and illnesses have declined significantly as a result.

The agreement avoids the cost and burden of possible prolonged litigation and will further the efforts of Tube Products and OSHA to assure a safe workplace.

The comprehensive safety and health program covering the workplace will include corporate and management commitment as well as employee involvement; worksite analysis to identify unsafe conditions and work practices; hazard prevention and control; medical management to provide the employees with health and medical care or intervention that may be required by virtue of work-related injuries and illnesses, and training and information for the workforce.

Tube Products will give its employees a program description and give them an opportunity to review it. The program is to be implemented by April 15, 1996.