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OSHA has cited Englewood, N.J.-based Supreme Oil Co.-South for 14 safety and health violations carrying $234,960 in total fines, the agency said.
The fines stem from OSHA’s March inspection of the company’s Brundidge, Ala., facility. The agency initiated the inspection because of a complaint and to follow up on an inspection that it conducted in March 2012.
Since 1994, OSHA has conducted 11 inspections at Supreme Oil Co.-South facilities in Alabama and New Jersey. In 2012, the agency issued eight citations to the company for alleged violations at its Alabama facility.
“Workers continue to be exposed to safety hazards, such as falls, unsafe forklift usage and amputation hazards. I am disappointed to see these violations present after they had been identified during an earlier inspection,” said Joseph Roesler, director of OSHA’s Mobile area office.
“Companies with more than one facility need to understand that a repeat violation is not just based upon the history of the site where the original violation occurred, and it can be based upon any of their locations covered nationally by federal OSHA. OSHA requires companies to communicate with their facilities corporate wide to ensure hazards are addressed at all locations.”
"Fall Protection, Hazard Communication Repeat as OSHA's Most Frequently Cited Standards"
OSHA issued the repeat citations for the company’s alleged failure to provide guardrails for staircases and open-sided platforms; maintain dry floors in areas where oil and water were mixed; and train workers to turn off machinery to prevent accidental startup while performing maintenance and services.
Additionally, the company exposed workers to struck-by, amputation and electrical hazards, OSHA alleges.
OSHA issued the serious citations for exposing workers to electrical hazards from improperly labeled wiring and not providing workers with the required training to operate an industrial truck. The company failed to develop procedures to prevent accidental startup and to properly identify the energy shutoff valves on machinery, OSHA alleges.
Supreme Oil Co.-South manufactures condiments, including salad dressing, mayonnaise and liquid oils. The company employs approximately 86 workers at the Alabama facility and 450 workers at two additional sites.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply or contest OSHA’s findings.