Department of Labor Logo OSHA Regional News Brief -
Kansas City
Region


Please note: As of January 20, 2021, information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies.

 

July 6, 2016

 

OSHA finds multiple hazards at Missouri auto parts manufacturing facility

Employer name: Challenge Manufacturing
Kansas City, Missouri

Citations issued: June 23, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 13 serious and one other-than-serious safety and health violation to Challenge Manufacturing. OSHA opened a February 2016 inspection after OSHA received a complaint of unsafe working conditions at the Kansas City facility that stamps, welds and assembles automotive parts.

The agency's Kansas City area office found the employer failed to:

  • Conduct noise monitoring in the facility.
  • Ensure employees wore hearing protection.
  • Evaluate workplaces to determine permit-required confined spaces.
  • Install adequate machine guarding.
  • Develop, document and require the use of machine safety procedures such as lockout/tagout to control machine movement during service and maintenance.
  • Removed damaged, unsafe powered industrial trucks from service.
  • Label hazardous chemicals.
  • Train workers on hazards.
  • Provide strain relief for cords and cables.

The Walker, Michigan-based company also has stamping facilities in Michigan and Texas. The Kansas City plant was opened in 2014.

Quote: "OSHA has specific guidelines to protect workers from dangerous machinery, chemicals and other hazards in the workplace," said Dave Keim, OSHA's acting area director for in Kansas City. "Challenge Manufacturing needs to re-evaluate its safety and health programs to ensure employees are being protected from job hazards."

Proposed Penalties: $75,000.

View Citations here: Health inspection, Safety inspection

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, 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 Kansas City Area Office at 816-502-0312.

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Media Contacts:

Scott Allen, 312-353-6976, allen.scott@dol.gov
Rhonda Burke, 312-353-6976, burke.rhonda@dol.gov

Release Number: 16-1430-KAN


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