Pa. Aluminum Manufacturer Fined for Alleged Safety Violations

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined an aluminum manufacturing company $155,585 for alleged health and safety violations.

Signature Aluminum Inc. was fined $112,500 for failing to establish and maintain adequate energy control procedures for workers using a cutoff saw blade, OSHA said.

“Without proper energy controls on machinery, employees are at constant risk of serious injury,” Ed Selker, director of OSHA’s area office in Erie, Pa., said in a statement.

A total of $43,085 was assessed for 26 other violations including inadequate and missing handrails and mid-rails, improper flammable liquid containers, unmarked or missing emergency fire exits, defective equipment, inadequate forklift inspections and a lack of emergency response training for an ammonia system, the agency said.

The company “strongly disputes many of the findings” in OSHA’s initial report, spokesman Chris Durniok said in a statement.

“Signature Aluminum places the highest regard on our employees’ safety, and we are confident that our continuing investigation will result in a successful conclusion to this matter,” he said.

The company was not fined for other alleged violations, including improper bookkeeping and inadequate vermin control, OSHA said. The agency said it began investigating the company in March in response to a complaint.

Signature Aluminum, which has 15 working days to pay or contest the fines, employs about 300 in Greenville, about 75 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.