J-W Wire Reports
Tecumseh -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a $25,200 fine in connection with the death of an employee at a cellophane plant last May.
OSHA cited the Tecumseh Films Plant of UCB Films Inc. for five "serious" safety violations at the factory.
Daniel Christopher of Topeka, a laminating operator, was killed when he was pinned between two pieces of a laminator machine at the UCB plant. He was 25.
Joe Gaynor, UCB general counsel, said the company would appeal the fines. Under OSHA regulations, a company has 15 working days to meet with the area director in an "informal conference."
"We intend to discuss these citations with OSHA in greater detail through that process," Gaynor said. He declined to comment further on the appeal, saying, "We don't want to get into those details."
If a company doesn't contest an OSHA citation within the 15 days, it becomes a final order not subject to appeal.
Judy Freeman, OSHA's Kansas area director, didn't return calls seeking comment on the citations.
Tecumseh's UCB plant, which has 230 employees, is the only cellophane plant in the United States. During the past 40 years, the plant has changed hands from DuPont to Flexel to UCB.
The citations allege an inadequate hazard warning program; lack of an annual inspection of the procedures; inadequate training to control hazardous energy; lack of certification of hazard training; and inadequate machine guarding to protect workers.
OSHA proposed a fine of $6,300 each for four of the five violations. UCB wasn't fined for failing to certify that employee training had been accomplished and kept up to date.
In addition to the fines, OSHA requires certification and documentation that the violations have been corrected by Oct. 12.
Gaynor said the company already has modified equipment and made various structural changes at the plant to prevent accidents.
"Obviously any time when something like this occurs we take extra effort to make sure it would never happen again," he said.
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