Julie Su Acting United States Secretary of Labor | Official Website
Two years after the U.S. Department of Labor included Kyoei Steel LTD in its program for severe violators of federal safety and health regulations, inspectors have returned to the Vinton steel fabrication and recycling facility and found ongoing safety violations.
In April 2022, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued citations for 19 serious violations by the company, which operates as Vinton Steel LLC, and assessed $364,078 in proposed penalties. OSHA also placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Over the past five years, there have been 10 workplace safety incidents at this facility, five involving employee amputations.
A follow-up inspection in January 2024 revealed continued exposure of employees to hazards such as:
- Failing to keep workers clear of loads lifted by slings and not maintaining slings properly.
- Inadequate guarding of machinery, exposing workers to moving parts.
- Improper maintenance of fire extinguishers.
- Lack of fit testing for workplace respirators.
- Failure to complete medical evaluations for respirator use.
“Vinton Steel continues to show a callous disregard for the safety of its employees by exposing them to potentially deadly hazards,” said OSHA Area Director Diego Alvarado Jr. in El Paso, Texas. “The company must immediately stop endangering its workers and correct its safety failures before someone gets seriously injured or worse.”
OSHA cited Vinton Steel for five repeat and two serious violations with proposed penalties totaling $269,631.
Based in Osaka, Japan, Kyoei Steel LTD operates Vinton Steel LLC in Texas with approximately 400 employees represented by United Steelworkers Local 9424. The company has operations primarily in Japan along with additional facilities in Canada and Vietnam.
Kyoei Steel LTD has 15 business days from receipt of citation and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Learn more about OSHA.
