Amputated Fingers, Chemical Exposure At Burlington Co. Company: OSHA

BURLINGTON, NJ — An employee at a Burlington County manufacturing company lost three fingers from injuries on his first day. Federal workplace-safety regulators now say that United Hospital Supply Corp. should pay nearly $500,000 for willful violations.

The employee's injury prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to launch two investigations into the Burlington-based company. On May 9, OSHA proposed that the company pay $498,464 in penalties and enter the federal agency's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

United Hospital Supply Corp. produces metal products for hospitals, schools and laboratories. OSHA cited the company for similar violations at its Burlington facility in 2010 and 2015.

In November, a new employee suffered the amputation of three fingers while operating a press brake without the required safety guards. The incident prompted a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA's parent agency.

Through the investigations, OSHA found three willful violations, 17 "serious" violations and one "other-than-serious" violation. OSHA proposed that the company enter its serious-violator program, which establishes enforcement policies for employers who show indifference toward repeated OSHA violations.

"Despite previous citations and penalties, United Hospital Supply Corp. has ignored its responsibility for protecting the safety and health of its employees," said Paula Dixon-Roderick, OSHA's area director in Marlton. "Machine guarding is a basic safety measure for reducing dangerous hazards for machine operators which, in this case, could have prevented a new employee from suffering a traumatic life-changing injury."

United Hospital Supply Corp. did not return comment to Patch. The company has 15 business days from receiving OSHA's notice of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the violations before OSHA's independent-review commission.

The labor agency found that United Hospital Supply Corp. exposed workers to welding fumes beyond permissible-exposure levels, failed to provide respirators when needed, and never developed a lockout/tagout program to prevent accidental machine startup. The company also "willfully" failed to remove and repair an inoperable forklift and to provide hazard-communication training for chemicals in the facility.

United Hospital Supply Corp. has about 100 employees, represented by Local 19 of the Sheet Metal Workers Union in Philadelphia. The company manufactures steel cabinets, lockers, laboratory hoods and other metal products.