Underreporting results in $720,700 OSHAfine
A plastics company in Solvay, NY, has been fined $720,700, mostly for failing to record 63 injuries and illnesses in its federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 200 logs, after having been warned previously by federal inspectors that injuries and illnesses were not being recorded adequately.
The large fine was levied against Landis Plastics for what the federal inspectors classified as "willful" failures to maintain accurate OSHA 200 logs over a two-year period. Part of the total fine is for violations regarding machine guarding and ergonomic-related hazards, but most is for the recordkeeping faults. More than half of the unrecorded injuries and illnesses were related to ergonomic hazards.
OSHA levied the fines in January. The company is contesting the amount, and it is routine for the agency to lower the amount of the fine after negotiating improvements with the employer. The Solvay plant employs 170 people making custom-molded plastic food containers. The company has other plants in Illinois, Indiana, and New York.
Landis also is the first company to be fined for not reporting injuries to the state workers’ compensation system. The employer was self-insured for workers’ compensation and paid compensation directly to the injured workers without notifying the state, OSHA reports. The state of New York assessed a $48,000 fine for 21 unreported injuries and illnesses.
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