An Ohio chemical plant where an employee was killed in a fire in 2007 is facing more than $100,000 in OSHA fines for workplace safety violations.Trans-Acc Inc. is facing $121,800 in fines unless it can defend itself against allegations that federal investigators found 33 serious violations of workplace-safety standards after a fire at the company's Blue Ash plant killed an employee in November 2007.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it has cited Trans-Acc, a metal cleaning and coating company, for alleged electrical hazards, the unsafe handling of flammable liquids and vapors, failure to address respirator needs and hazards and not protecting employees against exposure to chromium VI.
"Employers have an essential and unavoidable responsibility to see to it that areas with flammable liquids and chemicals which carry significant health risks are made safe for their employees," said Richard Gilgrist, OSHA's area director in Sharonville.
"There is no excuse for failing to take the appropriate steps to keep the workplace safe from the hazards of explosion, fire and excessive exposure to such chemicals."
Federal law requires employers to provide a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA sets, enforces and provides training in workplace-safety standards.
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