The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is responsible for creating rules to keep workers safe throughout the nation. In addition to creating those rules it also makes sure that they are being enforced. This enforcement is accomplished through inspections. The inspections can be random, the result of an accident or come as a result of the receipt of a complaint.

Inspections that uncover violations often lead to citations of various severity. Some citations result in fines.

Recently, a Pennsylvania business located in New Castle was subjected to an OSHA investigation. The investigation at the recycler of oil filters, which was prompted by a complaint, uncovered a total of 27 violations. The citations could be expensive. The total of the proposed penalties is $58,000.

One of the violations was for industrial trucks that were either defective or unsafe. If not dealt with they could potentially lead to workplace injuries. This is not the first citation the business has received for this issue. It was cited for the same thing at some point in 2008. That citation could set the recycler back $5,600.

The citations making up the bulk of the proposed fine, or $51,700, are deemed serious. Some of the serious violations include:

• Fall hazards
• Electrical hazards
• Struck-by hazards
• Improperly installed, located and identified equipment
• Emergency stations such as eyewashes, showers and fire extinguishers that are not properly maintained
• Machinery without the required guards
• Issues with cranes

As is the case for any business that is cited by OSHA, it has 15 business days to take some sort of action. It can either accept the penalties, challenge the results of the investigation before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission or seek a conference with the agency's area director. A representative for the company indicated that some of the citations will be contested.

Source: Vindy.com, "Vortex receives citation," Nov. 2, 2012