Region 6 News Release: 11-633-DAL
May 9, 2011
Contact: Elizabeth Todd Juan Rodriguez
Phone: 972-850-4710 972-850-4709
Email: todd.elizabeth@dol.gov rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Reyes Automotive Group in
San Antonio for 13 workplace violations, proposes $55,800 in fines

SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited San Antonio-based Reyes Automotive Group LLC for 13 serious and two other-than-serious violations of safety and health hazards. Proposed penalties total $55,800.

"This company jeopardized the safety of its workers by exposing them to numerous safety and health hazards," said Jeff Funke, OSHA's area director in San Antonio. "OSHA's standards must be followed to avoid injuries and fatalities."

OSHA's San Antonio Area Office initiated a safety and health inspection on Jan. 5 at the company's facility on Lone Star Pass where employees were manufacturing trim components used in the automotive industry. The investigation was part of OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting Program, which directs enforcement resources to workplaces with higher-than-average injury and illness rates.

The serious violations include failing to ensure electrical bonding and grounding in pneumatic conveying systems for combustible dust; provide and ensure that adequate personal protective equipment such as face shields and insulated gloves were used to prevent burns; provide the required machine guarding for the drill press, milling machines and horizontal lathe; provide a relocatable power tap in place of permanent wiring; and conduct air monitoring to determine employees' exposure to methylene chloride. 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.

The other-than-serious violations are failing to post a load rating on a mezzanine used as overhead storage and office space, and ensure fire extinguishers were subjected to an annual maintenance check. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

Reyes Automotive Group, which produces motor vehicle body components and frames, has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's San Antonio area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Employers and employees with questions about workplace safety and health standards can call OSHA's San Antonio office at 210-472-5040 or the agency's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) to report workplace incidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers.

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 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.