OSHA Accuses Marazzi of Safety Violations

Washington, DC, Jan. 19, 2012 -- The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has cited American Marazzi Tile Inc. with 25 safety and health violations for exposing workers to excessive noise levels, machine guarding hazards, and other dangerous conditions at its facility in Sunnyvale, Texas.

OSHA, on its website, said proposed penalties total $318,000.

OSHA's Dallas Area Office initiated an investigation on July 13 as part of the agency's Site-Specific Targeting Program, which directs enforcement resources to workplaces with higher-than-average injury and illness rates.

"This company knowingly failed to implement necessary safety and health programs to protect employees from coming into contact with moving parts of machinery and prevent hearing loss," said John Hermanson, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas.

Three willful violations involve failing to establish and maintain a hearing conservation program for workers exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 decibels; provide the required machine guards for exposed belts, pulleys, chains, and sprockets; and establish a lockout/tagout program for energy sources to protect workers from the unexpected start up of machinery.

Twenty-one serious violations involve failing to provide personal protective equipment, provide confined space training, provide machine guarding to prevent workers from coming into contact with rotating parts, develop energy control procedures for machines with more than one energy source, provide fire extinguisher training, properly store oxygen and acetylene cylinders, develop a bloodborne pathogens program, and train employees on hazardous chemicals used in the facility.

Related Topics:Marazzi USA, Mohawk Industries