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OSHA: Auto Supplier Claims Safety is ‘Too Expensive’

Feb. 1, 2016
Daeil hasn't corrected hazards at an Alabama facility because of cost, OSHA says.

Daeil, a supplier of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motor, repeatedly has been cited for the same hazards, yet hasn’t corrected the issues because of cost, OSHA says.

"Management at this facility has adopted a productivity-over-safety mentality and repeatedly claims that it is 'too expensive' to address the safety hazards found in this workplace," said Joseph Roesler, OSHA's area director in Mobile.

"The safety culture of this company must change immediately; protecting workers must always come before profit margins.

OSHA cited Daeil’s Valley, Ala. facility, which manufactures struts and other auto parts, for one willful, five repeated, 10 serious and one other-than-serious safety violation and assessed fines of $171,870.

The company was cited for not developing, documenting and using procedures to prevent machinery from starting during maintenance and servicing.

The repeat violations, for which the company was previously cited in 2013, were for not providing locks to keep robots from accidentally activating during maintenance and servicing; not keeping protective screens and shields in place while welding; and not ensuring that the conveyor line stop buttons were red.

Daeil received serious citations for having wet floors and exposing workers to slipping hazards and amputation hazards from unguarded machinery; for not developing a noise-monitoring program; not having an eyewash station for workers dealing with corrosive materials; and for not providing OSHA with workplace injury logs within four hours.

Daeil has about 115 workers at the Valley, Ala., facility. The plant was inspected as part of OSHA’s regional emphasis program on safety in the auto parts industry.

About the Author

Ginger Christ | Associate Editor

Ginger Christ is an associate editor for EHS Today, a Penton publication.

She has covered business news for the past seven years, working at daily and weekly newspapers and magazines in Ohio, including the Dayton Business Journal and Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Most recently, she covered transportation and leadership for IndustryWeek, a sister publication to EHS Today.

She holds a bachelor of arts in English and in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

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