The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday said it cited an Ohio electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant following a March explosion and fire.
OSHA announced it cited Warren-based Ultium Cells LLC for 17 serious violations and two other-than-serious violations following the incident.
The agency also proposed $270,091 in penalties and issued the company a hazard letter asking it to voluntarily reduce accumulations of metal dust and protect workers from unsafe metal dust exposure.
OSHA listed numerous safety failures on the part of the company, including that it didn’t comply with standards relating to personal protective equipment, and that it failed to install required machine guarding, didn’t train workers in hazardous energy control procedures, failed to train workers on the dangers of workplace chemical hazards, and failed to store chemicals in labeled containers.
OSHA said it has cited the plant 11 times since it began battery cell production in August 2022.
The company has 15 business days to contest the citation and penalties.