TIFFIN - A Tiffin company that manufactures ready-to-assemble furniture is facing $108,700 in fines from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to maintain a safe workplace.
Ameriwood Industries Inc. was cited this week for six repeat violations and six serious violations of workplace safety standards during an inspection that took place Jan. 20.
Many of the alleged violations cited by OSHA revolved around alleged dust hazards at the plant, including a failure to install and maintain spark detection and suppression equipment in a number of dust collectors.
Jule Hovi, area director for OSHA, said the January inspection came as a result of a complaint from an employee at the plant and from the agency's enforcement emphasis on the dangers of combustible dust.
Dust explosions cause a number of deaths and serious injuries each year in the United States, especially in grain-handling workplaces and other industries that process organic material, such as wood.
Other cited violations at Ameriwood involved failing to ensure workers were adequately protected when maintaining electrical equipment.Ameriwood employs about 450 workers in Michigan and Ohio, and it also has facilities in Missouri.
OSHA has inspected the company's facilities 28 times in 14 years, resulting in 98 citations overall.
The Tiffin facility alone has been inspected five times during the same period, including the most recent previous inspection in April, 2008. It has been cited a total of 35 times during the last 14 years, OSHA officials said.
A spokesman for the company declined to comment. The company has 15 days to contest OSHA's findings and its fine.
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com
or 419-724-6091.
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