The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday that it cited a national commercial flooring company after an investigation earlier this year identified more than a dozen health and safety violations.
OSHA cited Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Ecore International Inc. for one “willful” violation and 15 “serious” violations and proposed $299,591 in penalties following a January inspection of the company’s plant in Mexia, Texas.
The agency said Ecore International, which is one of the largest manufacturers of commercial flooring in the U.S., endangered employees by making them stand on a forklift’s elevated tines to reach work areas, and exposed workers to various slip and fall hazards.
The company also failed to ensure machines had required safety guards, failed to prevent small fires due to an improper buildup of combustible dust, and permitted potentially explosive atmospheres to exist, OSHA said.
OSHA said it found similar machine guard hazards and potential electrocution and amputation dangers in a separate investigation in May at the company’s Ozark, Alabama, facility.