Two Firms Fined $199,800 for 30 Safety Violations at Missouri Plants

The violations involve deficient lockout/tagout procedures, a lack of machine guarding, defective slings, poor housekeeping, a lack of protective footwear, and failing to have legible load ratings on slings.

OSHA has cited National Vinyl Products Inc. and subsidiary NVP Hospitality Design LLC, both located in St. Genevieve, Mo., with a total of 30 safety and health violations, including three repeat violations for failing to properly ground electrical equipment and a lack of machine guarding. Proposed penalties total $199,800.

OSHA initiated a follow-up inspection of National Vinyl Products Inc. in December 2011 after inspections in May 2009 and April 2010 resulted in citations for a variety of violations. The most recent inspection resulted in citations for 12 violations. OSHA initiated a concurrent inspection of NVP Hospitality Design LLC based on a report of unsafe working conditions, which resulted in citations for 18 violations.

"Employers have a responsibility to protect the safety of their workers," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. "It is imperative that employers make the commitment to safety and health to ensure that employees are not continually exposed to hazards like these."

One repeat violation at National Vinyl Products is failing to ground electrical equipment. Two repeat violations at NVP Hospitality Design involve a lack of machine guarding and using flexible cords that are not grounded. These violations previously were cited during the 2009 and 2010 inspections.

National Vinyl Products has been cited with a failure-to-abate violation for not correcting machine guarding deficiencies cited during an April 2010 inspection of the facility.

Nine serious safety and health violations at National Vinyl Products involve deficient lockout/tagout procedures, a lack of machine guarding, defective slings, poor housekeeping, a lack of protective footwear, and failing to have legible load ratings on slings.

Fourteen serious safety and health violations at NVP Hospitality Design involve deficient lockout/tagout procedures, a lack of machine guarding, and a lack of personal protective equipment including eyewear. Other hazards cited involve a lack of fall protection and failing to train workers who use powered industrial trucks, properly store and label flammable liquids, and implement a hazard communication program.

Three other-than-serious violations relate to a lack of certification for hazard assessments at both companies and record-keeping deficiencies at NVP Hospitality Design.

Proposed penalties total $119,700 for National Vinyl Products and $80,100 for NVP Hospitality Design.