Resources for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Company Faces OSHA Fines For June's Fire

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A local company faces more than $139,000 in fines because of a flash fire in June that badly burned an employee.

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration uncovered more than a dozen serious violations at Wheelblast, a Copeland Drive company that paints and sandblasts structural steel. The violations were detailed in a report delivered to the company last month. The company has until Monday to respond, OSHA officials said.

"This company's management placed employees in extreme danger when it ignored numerous warning labels and product safety information for toxic and highly flammable substances," said Les Grove, OSHA's area director in Tampa in a statement.

Among the violations, inspectors said employees were exposed to toxic and flammable paints and were not provided flame resistant clothing or personal protective equipment. There also were no guardrails around some open pits and inspectors saw employees smoking in the spraying area, according to the citation.

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