The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Dana Rail Care for workplace safety and health hazards at the facility near Wilmington. The company faces $371,276 in penalties.
OSHA started an inspection of the tank rail car cleaning and repair facility in August 2019 after receiving a complaint of safety and health hazards.
OSHA cited the company for electrical and explosion hazards, insufficient means for escaping confined spaces, use of defective powered industrial trucks, lack of medical clearance for respiratory protection use, improper use of respirators and inadequate secondary air supply, and lack of signage in a silica-regulated area.
This is the second time in recent months that OSHA has cited Dana Rail Care for safety and health violations. In November 2019, OSHA issued a citation and proposed more than $550,000 in penalties following an employee fatality in Pittston, PA in May 2019. The company has contested that citation and the proposed penalties.
“Failure to comply with OSHA standards leaves employees vulnerable to dangers that can cause serious and potentially fatal injuries,” said OSHA Area Director Erin Gilmore, in Wilmington. “Employers have an obligation to provide a safe and healthful workplace for their workers.”
“OSHA has extensive resources to help employers and employees understand how to comply with workplace safety and health standards,” stated Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. “Employers must ensure that workers are provided necessary workplace safety and health protections.”
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the 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.
