제  목 : OSHA CITES HUDSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, EMPLOYER FOR
  일  자 : 1998년 10월
  제공처 : Internet

 OSHA CITES HUDSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, EMPLOYER FOR
  ALLEGED WILLFUL AND SERIOUS SAFETY VIOLATIONS
    FOLLOWING FATAL FORKLIFT TRUCK ACCIDENT
 ===============================================

  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Labor
  Department has cited FWM, Inc., of Hudson, New Hampshire, for alleged Will-
  ful and Serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act follow-
  ing a fatal accident at the company's former plant in Salem, N.H., and has
  proposed penalties totaling $140,000.

  According to David May, OSHA area director for New Hampshire, OSHA initiated
  its inspection on June 23, 1998, after learning of a fatality which occurred
  the day before in the company's outside storage and materials handling area.

  A FWM, Inc. forklift truck that had been left unattended by its operator
  rolled down an incline, pinning and crushing a truck driver employed by Guy
  Heavener, Inc., of Allentown, Penn., between the forklift and the side of a
  flatbed trailer.

  "OSHA's inspection found that the fork truck had been left parked and
  unattended on an incline without its wheels having first been blocked to
  prevent its rolling, that it had a defective parking brake and rear wheel
  and should not have been in service to begin with, and that daily inspec-
  tions of the fork truck, which would have identified and prompted the
  correction of such hazards, had not been conducted as required," said May.
  "In addition, employees who operated the fork truck were exposed to crushing
  hazards in the event of a tipover due to their failure to use installed
  seatbelts."

  May explained that the considerable size of the fine proposed in this case
  stems from the categorization of three of the four citations as Willful,
  the most severe category of OSHA citation. OSHA issues such citations only
  when it believes, based on the information gathered in its inspection, that
  the employer knew what safeguards were necessary to protect workers yet
  apparently elected not to provide them.

  "This employer is well aware of OSHA standards governing the safe maintenance
  and use of forklift trucks including the need for daily inspections,
  removing defective trucks from service for repairs, and never leaving a fork
  truck unattended, particularly on an incline, without first blocking its
  wheels to prevent unintended movement," he said. "Had these basic, simple
  safeguards been met, this accident could well have been avoided."

  May noted that though the deceased worker was an employee of another company,
  the fork truck was owned and operated by FWM, Inc., and all four citations
  address hazards to which FWM employees were exposed.

  FWM, Inc., is a welding and machine shop which manufactures cryogenic heat
  exchangers. It employs about 29 workers at its plant which is located at 11
  Friars Drive in Hudson (At the time of the accident, FWM, Inc. was located
  in Salem; it subsequently moved to the Hudson location).

  The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations and proposed
  penalties to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate
  in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest them
  before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

  Specifically, the citations and total proposed penalties of $140,000
  encompass:

  Three alleged willful violations, with $136,500 in proposed penalties, for:

 - a forklift truck was left parked and unattended on an incline without its
   wheels being blocked to prevent movement;
 - a forklift truck with a defective parking brake and defective right rear
   tire was not withdrawn from service  for repairs;
 - failure to ensure that forklift trucks were inspected daily before use.

  One alleged Serious violation, with a proposed penalty of $3,500, for:
  failure to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards likely
  to cause death or serious physical harm in that employees operating forklift
  trucks were exposed to crushing hazards by not wearing installed seat belts.

  May urged Granite State employers and employees with questions regarding
  workplace safety and health standards to contact the OSHA area office in
  Concord and added that OSHA's toll-free, nationwide hotline --1-800-321-
  OSHA (1-800-321-6742)-- may be used to report workplace accidents or
  fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, especially if
  they occur outside of normal business hours.

  A willful violation is defined by OSHA as one committed with an intentional
  disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational
  Safety and Health Act and regulations.

  A serious violation is defined as one in which there is a substantial
  probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the
  employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.

  OSHA is empowered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to issue
  standards and rules requiring employers to provide their employees with safe
  and healthful workplaces and jobsites, and to assure through workplace
  inspections that those standards are followed.

  The information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
  individuals upon request. Voice phone: (617) 565-2072. TDD (Telecommunica-
  tions Device for the Deaf) Message Referral Phone: 800-347-8029.