On February 16, 2018, fiberglass pipe manufacturer RPS Composites Alabama was hit with $74,833 in proposed penalties after OSHA discovered health and safety violations that contributed to an employee suffering a severed finger.
Investigators from the agency found that an employee's safety-gloved hand was pulled into a pipe-winding machine as a result of a lack of machine guarding.
RPS, which is based in Mobile, AL, was cited for 10 serious and two other-than-serious violations for:
- Exposing employees to struck-by and caught-in hazards by failing to install proper machine guarding.
- Failing to train employees on how to control energy sources.
- Allowing combustible dust to accumulate.
RPS has 15 days to challenge OSHA's findings.
