OSHA cites Cicero manufacturer for 13 safety violations

CICERO — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited EJ USA Inc., a metal-hatch manufacturer, for 13 “serious” violations of workplace-safety standards at its Cicero plant.

OSHA has proposed fines totaling $56,000 following an inspection that the Syracuse office conducted in May, the department said in a news release.

The agency conducted the inspection under OSHA’s Site Specific Targeting Program, which directs enforcement resources to “high-hazard” workplaces with the “highest rates of injuries and illnesses,” the agency said.

OSHA’s inspection found that EJ USA Inc. failed to institute a hearing-protection program; to prevent an overexposure to metal fumes; to provide a handrail on stairs; to cover containers on flammable liquids; to keep ignition sources away from flammable liquids; and to maintain the airflow indicator on a spray booth, the agency said.

The inspection also found the firm failed to adequately clean combustible residue from a spray booth; to lockout machinery while performing maintenance or conducting inspections of the lockout/tagout procedures; to maintain limit switches on an overhead crane; and to adequately guard machinery and guard live electrical parts, according to OSHA.

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, the agency said.

East Jordan, Mich.–based EJ USA Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, OSHA said.

EJ USA’s Cicero location is the former Syracuse Castings Sales Corp., according to the EJ website.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com