OSHA fines Stowe-Woodward $176,000

ERJ staff report (DS)

Concord, New Hampshire -- The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Stowe Woodward LLC for 16 violations of workplace safety standards following an inspection at its Concord plant. The company, which refurbishes large metal rolls for the paper industry, faces $176,000 in proposed penalties.

Inspectors found several instances where operating machinery - including grinders, extruders and lathes - lacked proper guarding to prevent workers from coming in contact with moving parts. The machines also lacked adequate procedures to lock out their power sources to prevent unintended startup during maintenance. As a result of these conditions, the company was cited for two willful violations with $125,000 in fines. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

"The sizable fines proposed here reflect both the severity of these hazards and the fact that the company was well aware of the machine guarding and lockout hazards," said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA's New Hampshire area director. "Stowe Woodward has been cited in the past for similar or equivalent hazards, including citations issued in 2005 and 1999 for machinery-related fatalities at its facilities in Louisiana and Georgia. For the safety and health of its workers, this employer must take effective steps to correct and prevent these hazards not only in Concord but at its other locations."

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Press release from OSHA