Fabric Manufacturer to Pay $200,000 in Penalties, Correct Workplace Hazards

Monday, July 13, 2020 | 0

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that home and personal care fabric products manufacturer U.S. Nonwovens Corp. will address and correct hazards at its five manufacturing facilities in New York and pay $200,000 in penalties to resolve safety violations.

In July 2019, OSHA cited the company for repeat and serious violations at the Hauppauge and Brentwood facilities after an employee suffered a hand amputation in a fabric-softener sheet-cutting machine. The company was cited for violations including lack of machine guards, failing to store materials securely, and failing to train and evaluate forklift operators on safely operating equipment.

The agency also cited the company for potential fire and smoke inhalation hazards due to obstructed exit routes, an inoperable exit door and failing to report an amputation to OSHA.

U.S. Nonwovens Corp. agreed to a settlement after initially contesting the citations.

The company agrees to correct the cited hazards, comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, pay $200,000 in penalties and take additional steps to enhance compliance and safety at the five New York facilities. Those steps include:

• Employing a safety and health director to oversee company facilities.
• Establishing a labor-management safety committee to oversee safety and health policies.
• Assessing machine guarding and implementing needed changes.
• Performing and documenting daily emergency exit inspections.
• Performing comprehensive inspections of fuel tanks, charging stations and training certification for all forklift operators, and inspecting the forklift program, at least twice per year.

The agreement covers three company locations in Brentwood, and one each in Commack and Hauppauge.