Allen County firm cited in worker's maiming

4/28/2006

SPENCERVILLE, Ohio - The severing of a worker's hand at a grain elevator in this Allen County community has led to six citations and proposed fines of $6,525 by a federal safety agency.

The U.S. Occupational and Health Administration issued six citations this month against United Equity Inc., charging that improper power-control procedures and training contributed to the February accident in which a worker lost a hand while replacing a bolt on a screw conveyor.

Five of the citations were labeled "serious," including that the company did not ensure that the power source was cut off as the employee worked on the machine and that workers had not been properly trained on how to control the power source during routine maintenance and servicing of equipment.

The company has until June 2 to correct three of the violations, after fixing three of them either during the initial inspection or by yesterday's deadline.