This happened at TYK America Inc.'s Clairton manufacturing facility following its failure to provide guarding on a brick crushing machine, a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor said.
This happened at TYK America Inc.'s Clairton manufacturing facility following its failure to provide guarding on a brick crushing machine, a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor said.
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This happened at TYK America Inc.'s Clairton manufacturing facility following its failure to provide guarding on a brick crushing machine, a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor said.
A 53-year-old worker suffered an arm amputation while operating a machine at a manufacturing facility in Clairton. The company is now facing more than $100,000 in fines.
This happened at TYK America Inc.'s Clairton manufacturing facility following its failure to provide guarding on a brick crushing machine, a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor said.
The U.S. Department of Labor said a subsequent federal investigation found the company previously identified a deficiency with the machine’s guarding but kept the machine operational and did not repair the deficiency prior to the amputation incident.
According to a news release the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited TYK America for 11 safety violations – including one willful and eight serious – following an investigation initiated on Nov. 18, 2021.
OSHA proposed $108,769 in penalties for the violations.
Inspectors determined that the injured worker’s left hand and arm were caught and pulled into the rotating drums of the machine while loading brick pieces into it.
OSHA said it found the company failed to provide guards to prevent employees from having any part of their body in the danger zone during operation.
This hazard was identified during previous periodic inspections of the machine by the employer, but repairs were never made – a willful violation cited by OSHA.
Additional serious violations and other-than-serious violations included a lack of warning labels and guarding on machinery and workers exposed to electrical, crushed-by and struck-by hazards while using a damaged hoist to lift lance pipes and molds weighing up to approximately 1,619 pounds.
TYK America Inc. – a refractory product manufacturer — is headquartered in Clairton.
The company, a subsidiary of TYK Corp. of Japan, has 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
"In talking more with my clients, TYK American takes this issue very seriously, and will make every effort to engage in robust abatement measures once it is able to finalize its discussions with OSHA over the fines and citations. For now, the particular piece of equipment at issue is not in service, and will be the subject of TYK America’s informal settlement conference with OSHA in the coming days," a statement from TYK America said in part.
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