Feds fine four Ohio companies $84K

The Campbell Soup Supply Co. facility in Napoleon was cited by OSHA for two serious violations.

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Four Ohio companies have been fined a combined $84,182 by officials of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations found during inspections at various work sites.

The Campbell Soup Supply Co. facility in Napoleon was cited by OSHA for two serious violations.

Altogether Roofing, located in the community of Martin in Ottawa County, incurred the biggest fine at $44,617. The company was cited for one willful violation and two repeat violations during an inspection that took place last August at a work site in Toledo.

The willful violation involved employees working on a 19-foot-high roof who were not protected by a guardrail, safety net, or personal fall-arrest system. The repeat violations were for not having a program to identify work sites with falling hazards or training employees to spot falling hazards and use procedures to minimize those hazards.

Altogether Roofing previously was cited for the latter two problems last March at a site in Perrysburg.

Another roofing firm, the Casey Bortles Co., of Holland, was fined $16,732 for three repeat violations found last May at a site in Perrysburg. The violations were for not maintaining an accident prevention program or training so employees could spot falling hazards and take precautions. The firm was cited in July for the same problems.

The Campbell Soup Co. was fined $12,675 and cited for two serious violations during an inspection last July at its Napoleon soup and juice-making complex.

The company was cited for not developing procedures and training for employees who maintain a “J” Filler machine. An employee was burned when a clamp on a 4-inch stainless pipe was removed and he was sprayed by stored hot water. OSHA said the water should have been drained before work was done on the pipe.

BP-Husky Refining LLC was fined $10,158 and cited for two serious violations last May during an inspection at its refining operation on Cedar Point Road in Oregon.

OSHA said the company did not ensure that employees were trained to recognize that a hose connected to a pump was still pressurized and needed to be relieved then locked out before attempting to clean it. The pump was on a strainer basket for the refinery’s benzene stripper unit.

Contact Jon Chavez at jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.