St. Louis Plant Workers At Risk of Amputation, Electrical Injury and More, Says OSHA

St. Peters, MO, (Law Firm Newswire) December 19, 2014 – Continental Fabricators, a St. Louis manufacturer, has been cited for more than 15 serious safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). A fine of $52,000 has been proposed by the government agency.

In a news release, OSHA indicated that Continental Fabricators has an injury rate higher than the national average. Prior to the investigation, workers at the plant complained of fractures and other traumatic injuries that occurred while at work.

“This company has acted in a careless and reckless manner with regard to the safety of their employees,” said Charlie James, a St. Louis work injury attorney. “Hopefully this fine, and the publicity surrounding it, will cause the company to change its attitude and its policies before anyone else gets hurt.”

According to OSHA, one of the most serious violations was issued over machines that did not have adequate emergency stop devices, which put workers at risk of amputation. Without emergency stop devices, many automated machines could cause serious injury or cut off a limb if a worker’s hair, clothing or body part gets caught up in the machine.

A serious violation is only issued when death or serious injury is substantially likely and the company knows or should know about the risk, as OSHA pointed out in its news release.

OSHA also issued the company a confined spaces violation. This means that workers at Continental Fabricators were not adequately protected from becoming trapped and/or asphyxiated in a small space.

According to James, stories like this one are all too common. “Sadly, it happens over and over again that companies prioritize profits over worker safety,” remarked James. “As in this case, holding the companies financially accountable is sometimes the only way to get them to make a change.”

Learn more at http://www.jameslawgroup.net/. James Law Group, LLC 14 Richmond Center Court St. Peters, MO 63376 Phone: 636.397.2411 Toll Free: 800.229.7112