Nearly $235K in penalties proposed
Supreme Oil Co.-South was cited for 14 safety and health violations following a March 2014 inspection at the company’s oil production facility Brundidge, Alabama. OSHA initiated the inspection due to a complaint and to complete a follow-up to a previous inspection it conducted in March 2012. Proposed penalties total $234,960. Since 1994, Supreme Oil has undergone 11 OSHA inspections conducted at its Alabama and New Jersey facilities. In 2012, the Alabama facility received citations for eight safety violations.
“Workers continue to be exposed to safety hazards, such as falls, unsafe forklift usage and amputation hazards. I am disappointed to see these violations present after they had been identified during an earlier inspection,” said Joseph Roesler, director of OSHA’s Mobile Area Office. “Companies with more than one facility need to understand that a repeat violation is not just based upon the history of the site where the original violation occurred, and it can be based upon any of their locations covered nationally by federal OSHA. OSHA requires companies to communicate with their facilities corporate wide to ensure hazards are addressed at all locations.”
OSHA issued the repeat citations for the employer’s failure to provide guardrails for staircases and open-sided platforms, maintain dry floors in areas where oil and water were mixed, and train workers to turn off machinery to prevent accidental startup while performing maintenance and services. Additionally, the employer exposed workers to being struck-by falling stock from damaged metal shelves, amputation and electrical hazards.
The serious citations were issued to the employer for exposing workers to electrical hazards from improperly labeled wiring and not providing workers with the required training to operate an industrial truck. The employer failed to develop procedures to prevent accidental startup and to identify the energy shut-off valves properly on machinery.
View the citations at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/supreme-oil-company-south-962780_09_10_14.pdf
http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/supreme-oil-company-south_962771_09_09_14.pdf.
Supreme Oil Co.-South, headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, manufactures condiments, including salad dressing, mayonnaise, and liquid oils. The company employs approximately 86 workers at this facility and 450 workers at two additional sites.