Resources for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

New York Paper Mill Faces $116,250 OSHA Fine

www.occupationalhazards.com

OSHA cited Brownville Specialty Paper Products Inc. for 35 alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards following the death of an employee at its Brownville, N.Y.-based plant. The company currently faces $116, 250 in fines.

The employee was fatally crushed on Dec. 5, 2007, by two large rolls of paper that rolled out of a rewinding machine. The paper rolls weighed approximately 2,500 pounds.

OSHA's inspection found that the machine's barrier guard was not interlocked with its drive mechanism to prevent the rolls from being ejected during rewinding operations. The agency asserted that the company knew of the hazard but did not correct it.

"This accident could have been prevented had this machine been properly guarded against this hazard," said Christopher Adams, OSHA's area director in Syracuse. "This case illustrates in the starkest possible terms why effective safeguards are necessary to prevent death and injury on the job."

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