Region 3 News Release: 13-1648-PHI (osha 13-082)
Aug. 21, 2013
Contact: Joanna Hawkins Leni Fortson
Phone: 215-861-5101 215-861-5102
Email: hawkins.joanna@dol.gov uddyback-fortson.lenore@dol.gov

US Labor Department's OSHA fines New Castle, Pa., pipefitting manufacturer
$48,000 for safety and health hazards

NEW CASTLE, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited pipefitting manufacturer Flowline with 12 alleged serious safety and health violations at the company's New Castle facility. OSHA's February inspection was prompted by a complaint and resulted in $48,000 in proposed penalties.

The serious violations include the company's failure to provide workers with personal protective equipment for the eyes, face, hands and body; maintain good housekeeping in the lunchrooms and work areas to prevent lead ingestion hazards; reduce the pressure in a compressed air device to less than 30 pounds per square inch; establish procedures for identifying hazards requiring respiratory protection; label dip tanks holding sulfuric acid; and perform adequate maintenance on forklift trucks creating carbon monoxide exposures. The company was also cited for inadequate machine guarding, hazards related to egress, compressed gas cylinders stored near exits, no annual crane inspections, a lack of lockout/tagout procedures to prevent inadvertent machine activation, and confined space entry procedures. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

"It is imperative that the cited hazards are immediately addressed to ensure a safe and healthful workplace," said Theresa A. Naim, director of OSHA's Area Office in Erie. "OSHA will continue to hold employers legally accountable when they fail to uphold their responsibility to protect workers."

Flowline, a division of Ezeflow USA Inc., manufactures stainless steel, aluminum, and nickel alloy corrosion resistant butt weld pipe fittings. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director in Erie, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Erie Area Office at 814-874-5150.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 303-693-7838 or TTY 303-693-7755.