Two northwest Ohio businesses are to be fined more than $40,000 each for worker safety violations that in one case resulted in an injured employee and in the other, a similar violation earlier this year, resulted in a worker injury, federal regulators said on Monday.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Toledo office proposed a penalty of $48,900 for 10 safety and health violations cited at Wilbert Plastic Services in Bellevue, which operates a plastic-injection molding plant.

OSHA also proposed a fine of $46,200 for one safety citation against Chaney Roofing Maintenance Inc., a roofing contractor in Clyde for a worksite in Findlay.

At Wilbert Plastics, OSHA conducted a May inspection after a 36-year-old worker suffered burns to his face, eyes, and hands as he was cleaning a mold in a press. The regulator said that the injuries occurred because preventive procedures that would stop the machine from releasing hot plastic during maintenance were not taken.

The company was cited for serious violations including a lack of personal protective equipment to prevent burns and falls; failure to comply with machine safety procedures such as locking devices and neutralizing equipment; failure to train employees in machine safety; employee exposure to falling situations when accessing press parts; and failure to keep floors in dry and safe conditions.

Kim Nelson, OSHA’s Toledo area director, said in a statement, “Each year, thousands of workers are injured because manufacturers fail to recognize machine hazards and prevent workers from injuries during the manufacturing process. No worker’s shift should end with a visit to the hospital.”

Two other violations against Wilbert cited failure to report a hospitalization within 24 hours and improperly completed OSHA injury and illness logs.

Wilbert Plastic manufactures parts for Ford and Whirlpool and employs 325 workers at its Bellevue plant.

At Chaney Roofing, OSHA cited the firm for one willful safety violation for exposing workers to fall hazards of up to 20 feet while working on a new store. The company was cited by OSHA for the same violation in April after a worker was hospitalized as a result of a fall at a Norwalk, Ohio, job site. The company was cited for a fall hazard in January, 2013, citation at a Port Clinton work site.

Both Wilbert Plastic and Chaney Roofing have 15 business days from the issue-date of their citation to contest the proposed violations and penalties.

Chaney Roofing corrected its violation during the course of inspection, Ms. Nelson said, but it has requested an informal conference to discuss the citation with OSHA.

“It’s still an open investigation,” said Jessica Chaney, safety coordinator at Chaney Roofing.

Wilbert Plastic has not contacted OSHA for a conference, Ms. Nelson said.

Contact Jillian Kravatz at: jkravatz@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.

First Published August 4, 2015, 4:00 a.m.