Following investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an Ohio-based vinyl tile manufacturer is facing additional federal penalties of $545,853 due to safety hazards at its Fostoria plant. NOX US LLC is encountering consequences for overlooking risks after the 14th worker in a span of six years was injured at the plant, according to an Aug. 24 news release.
“Despite repeated citations and penalties, the company continues to expose employees to dangerous hazards and allows them to operate unguarded machines,” OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan, in Chicago, said in the release. “NOX US is failing to meet their legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment, and they must change the way it operates before another employee is needlessly injured.”
The U.S. subsidiary of a global company, previously cited for workplace safety deficiencies, is once again being held accountable. The company has a history of failing to adequately protect workers from hazards, dating back to 2017, the release reported.
This recent penalty comes after a February 2023 incident where a 56-year-old machine operator suffered a finger amputation due to a chain and sprocket system lacking required safety guards, according to the news release.
During inspections conducted by OSHA in March and May, NOX US LLC, was cited for multiple violations. OSHA found three willful violations, two repeat violations, three serious violations and two other-than-serious violations, the release reported.
These citations were issued due to the company's failure to implement proper lockout and tagout procedures, adequately train workers and provide necessary machine guards, all of which are mandated by law. The Fostoria plant had been previously added to OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program in 2017 after numerous cases of injuries, including severe amputations, were reported, the release said.
NOX US LLC, a company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and operating the Fostoria plant since November 2015, manufactures vinyl flooring for customers in more than 50 countries. The plant, which employs around 200 workers, has been under scrutiny due to its history of worker safety issues and repeated violations. In addition to the recent penalties, the company also faced a $1.2 million penalty in October 2022, which is currently being contested, according to the release.
