October 25, 2020
Illinois Workers Comp and Covid-19
ILLINOIS WORK COMP UPDATE CONCERNING CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) Effective April 13, 202 …
A metal manufacturer and plating facility based in Cicero, Illinois has just been issued 18 OSHA violations – with penalties totaling more than $157,000 – for exposing workers to serious hazards.
According to a recent OSHA announcement, action was taken against Electronic Plating Co. earlier this month for exposing workers to toxic metals and violating numerous OSHA regulations.
As regulators have pointed out, Electronic Plating has a history of committing at least eight of these violations in the past, with some being the cause for OSHA citations the company was issued in 2011.
A Closer Look at the Violations
The most recent round of OSHA inspections at the Electronic Plating Co. began this past June and continued through September, during which time regulators reported finding that the company had committed the following violations:
- Failing to provide the appropriate personal protective gear to workers exposed to chemical hazards
- Failing to mitigate electrical safety hazards
- Failing to implement an ongoing, “effective hearing conservation program” for workers exposed to excessive noise levels
- Failing to train workers on how to safely use and store chemicals at the facility
- Failing to provide medical monitoring for workers exposed to toxic chemicals (like cadmium and chromic acid)
- Failing to install appropriate safeguards around heavy machinery
- Failing to inspect and properly maintain powered industrial trucks.
Commenting on the findings of OSHA’s investigation and the ensuing penalties issued to Electronic Plating, Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director in Calumet City, has explained that:
OSHA inspectors found multiple preventable safety and health hazards in this facility, eight of which Electronic Plating violated in 2011…Employers cited for repeated violations are failing their employees and their obligation to provide a safe and healthy working environment.
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