OSHA cites Mexia plant for safety issues, assesses fines

Mexia, Texas ( FOX 44 ) – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Ecore International’s Mexia plant for safety violations and has proposed $299,591 in fines.

The company has 15 business days from the announcement to comply and request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director of contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

A statement issued by OSHA said an inspection of the Mexia plant found more than a dozen safety and health violations. Investigators discovered the company made employees stand on a forklift’s elevated tines to reach work areas; failed to prevent small fires fueled by improper buildup of combustible dust and permitted potentially explosive atmospheres to exist; lacked safe areas for welding; exposed employees to slip, trip and fall hazards; allowed untrained workers to operate forklifts; and failed to ensure machines had required safety guards.

“Ecore International must extend the innovation it credits for its company’s success to the safety and health of the people who help make and sell its products,” said OSHA Area Director Monica Camacho.“ At the company’s Mexia facility, our inspectors found employees forced to climb atop forklifts to do their jobs, workers exposed to potential dangers of fire and explosion, and many unprotected from the risks of falls and unguarded machines, all of which provides a formula for serious or fatal injuries.”

OSHA issued Ecore International citations for one willful violation and 15 serious violations. The company faces $299,591 in proposed penalties.

Ecore International Inc. was founded in 1871 and based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It consists of the ECOsurfaces, Surface America, A-Turf and SpectraTurf companies, serving customers in more than 75 countries in the healthcare, hospitality, education, retail, wellness, sports and fitness industries. Ecore’s U.S. customers include daycare centers, dance studios, high schools and universities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

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