OSHA fines 2 operations in Ohio

4/10/2007

A Pennsylvania company running a recycling operation in Toledo has been cited for violations and a tentative fine of $58,000 by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Industrial Waste Group LLC did not use Caterpillar excavators designed to be mounted atop rail cars to dig out debris and deposit it into rail cars nor did it use approved modification equipment for the task, according to an OSHA citation.

The company also failed to provide railings on platforms used by employees to get in and out of the excavators, the agency said.

The problem was discovered during a November inspection of the work site at 1200 West Laskey Road, and there were no injuries, said Jule Hovi, area director for the safety agency.

Tom Myles, Sr., an Industrial Waste Group official, declined to comment yesterday, saying he would refer questions to a co-worker he refused to name.

The company has a few days to appeal the citations.

Separately, OSHA cited Porter Drywall Inc. of Westerville, Ohio, near Columbus, for providing inadequate scaffolding for employees working on a residential construction site near Findlay.

Workers who built and maintained scaffolding also were not properly trained, the citation said. In all, the fines totaled $17,500.