The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing penalties totaling $341,866 against Continental Tire of the Americas following severe injuries to three workers at its Mt. Vernon plant last November.
The Labor Department says the injuries were associated with a mixer containing combustible dust and flammable gas, guarding moving equipment, and the failure to implement and enforce procedures to control the unintentional energization of equipment during servicing.
On November 13th, 2021 OSHA received an employer-reported referral that an employee unjamming a machine suffered the amputation of three fingers. The next day, one employee suffered serious burns requiring hospitalization and another suffered a concussion injury after an industrial rubber-compound mixer exploded.
Following its investigation, OSHA issued the company citations for two repeated, 16 serious, and five other than serious violations. Inspectors alleged Continental Tire had deficient safety procedures for energy control, combustible dust preventative engineering, housekeeping, personal protective equipment, emergency egress routes, and hazard communications.
OSHA’s Area Director Aaron Priddy in Fairview Heights says OSHA standards are put in place to prevent workers from suffering life-altering injuries. He says Continental Tire must learn from these tragic injuries, review company safety procedures and employee training, and make sure workers are safe on the job.
