Region 6 News Release: 12-824-DAL
May 17, 2012
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 Western Extrusions Corp. for exposing
workers to multiple safety and health hazards at Carrollton, Texas, facility

CARROLLTON, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Western Extrusions Corp. with two willful and 13 serious violations for exposing workers to a variety of safety and health hazards at its aluminum products manufacturing facility in Carrollton. OSHA's Dallas Area Office initiated an inspection Nov. 17 at the company's facility on Sandy Lake Road under the agency's National Emphasis Program for Amputations. Proposed penalties total $212,000.

"This company has a history of failing to implement effective safety measures, such as lockout/tagout procedures, to prevent employees from coming in contact with moving machine parts during servicing and setup," said Stephen Boyd, OSHA's area director in Dallas. "Employers have a responsibility to provide safe and healthful workplaces for their workers."

The willful violations involve failing to implement lockout/tagout procedures for machines' energy sources to protect workers performing maintenance and setup activities, and provide guarding on press brakes. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

The serious violations include failing to guard open-sided floors and platforms, provide personal protective equipment, properly label hazardous chemicals, ensure that isolation and de-energization procedures are followed, remove damaged synthetic web slings from service, provide guards around rotating and moving parts of machinery, establish die-setting procedures for mechanical power presses, guard chains and sprockets, provide hepatitis B vaccinations to workers and provide training on bloodborne pathogens. 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.

Due to the willful violations and the nature of the hazards, OSHA has placed Western Extrusions Corp. in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. The program focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations. For more information on SVEP, visit http://s.dol.gov/J3.

The citations can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Western-Extrusion-Corp.pdf*.

Western Extrusions, which employs about 900 workers, has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Dallas area director or contest the citations and penalties 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 Dallas office at 214-320-2400.

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 or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

* Accessibility Assistance Contact OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 for assistance accessing PDF materials.