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OSHA Cites Davis Wire for Alleged Safety and Health Violations

10/16/2006 -  

Oct. 16, 2006 — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Davis Wire Pueblo LLC in Pueblo for alleged willful and serious violations of safety and health standards. The firm is contesting the citations before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirement of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations.

OSHA defines a serious violation as those that occur when there is probability of death or serious physical harm and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.

OSHA is proposing penalties totaling $287,500 — $245,000 in proposed penalties for five willful violations and $42,500 for 17 serious violations. The citations were the result of a comprehensive investigation that began April 3, 2006 as part of OSHA's Site Specific Targeting (SST) program.

The alleged willful violations address inadequate point-of-operation machine guarding, unguarded flywheels, unguarded belts and pulleys, unguarded gears, and unguarded chains and sprockets.

The alleged serious safety violations address the improper use of ladders, unguarded open-sided floors, improper disposal of combustible waste; unguarded rotating parts, fan blades and grinders, unguarded live electrical parts; and improper use of compressed air used for cleaning purposes.

Alleged serious health violations include failure to enforce the use of required hearing protection; improper respirator use; overexposure to airborne lead; inadequate respirator training; failure to mark permit-required confined spaces; lack of eye wash stations; and deficiencies in the implementation of the required lead program.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.

Davis Wire operates the former Colorado Fuel & Iron (CF&I) wire mill, which it acquired from Oregon Steel Mills in the late 1990s. The balance of Oregon Steel Mills’ Pueblo facility is now known as Rocky Mountain Steel Mills.