WACO, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Marathon Norco Aerospace Inc. with eight serious health violations following a July inspection for exposing workers to hazardous materials, such as nickel and cadmium, at the company’s facility on Imperial Drive in Waco. Proposed penalties total $41,220.
OSHA’s Fort Worth Area Office cited the employer for failing to ensure that cadmium contaminated trash cans containing used personal protective equipment and other contaminated, discarded items were properly labeled; provide effective hazard communication training regarding the dangers of exposure to nickel nitrate and sulfuric acid compounds to new employees; provide proper respiratory protection, such as self-contained breathing apparatus; provide required machine guarding; and repair electrical wiring deficiencies. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
“This company exposed its workers to health hazards associated with cadmium dust, which can result in serious respiratory illnesses,” said Jack Rector, OSHA’s area director in Fort Worth. “It is the employer’s responsibility to provide a safe and healthful working environment for employees.”
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