OSHA finds lack of adequate machine guarding at Chicago facility

Aug. 12, 2016 – Meyer Steel Drum Inc. in Chicago, Ill., is facing $46,800 in proposed penalties for lack of adequate machine guarding.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued eight serious safety violations to Meyer Steel Drum Inc. An April 2016 OSHA inspection found a worker had three fingers crushed when his right hand became caught in a pinch point as he operated a metal coiler at the Chicago facility in December 2015.

OSHA inspection found after the incident took place, the steel drum manufacturer made an attempt to guard the machine, however, the company failed to adjust the guards properly to eliminate the hazard.

The agency cited Meyer Steel Drum for failing to:

• Adequately guard machines’ operating parts;
• Use locking devices and other procedures to prevent unintentional equipment start-up or movement during service and maintenance, a process known as “lock-out/tag out”;
• Train forklift operators;
• Remove damaged forklifts from service; and
• Train workers about hazardous energy.

“OSHA has specific guidelines to protect workers from dangerous machinery in the workplace,” said Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director in Calumet City. “While machine guarding remains among the most frequently cited agency standards, Meyer Steel Drum failed to protect its workers properly. Yet another worker has joined the thousands injured each year in an incident that was preventable. Employers must protect workers from operating machinery at its facilities.”