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OSHA cites Vallourec Star for safety violations
YOUNGSTOWN
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Vallourec Star for 22 serious safety violations. Proposed penalties total $94,000.
The company was cited after OSHA received information that a worker had suffered severe injuries as the result of being crushed between two machines. The machine operator suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis Feb. 27 and has been unable to return to work. The investigation found that workers were exposed to crushing, amputation and fall hazards.
“Manufacturers that operate dangerous machinery must be aware of the daily hazards workers face while working with this machinery. Vallourec Star did not prioritize safety,” Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland, said in a statement. “No worker should be injured on the job because the company failed to provide the required protections.”
Vallourec Star produces seamless tubular products, primarily for oil and gas applications. The company has an electric steel mill and two tube-rolling mills in Youngstown. A subsidiary of Vallourec USA, the company also operates facilities in Houston and Muskogee, Okla.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its 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.
“Workplace safety at Vallourec Star is a first priority. We strongly disagree with OSHA’s statement that we do not make safety a priority,” Judson Wallace, president of Vallourec Star, said in a statement. “The citations issued against Vallourec Star are not representative of Vallourec Star’s commitment to employee safety. Any deficiencies alleged in the citations were noted by OSHA to have been corrected to OSHA’s satisfaction before it issued the citations. The story left untold by the citations is the thousands of observations OSHA made during its inspection in which it concluded that Vallourec Star met or exceeded OSHA requirements, as well as the hundreds of thousands of safe, incident-free work hours by our employees.”
“While we understand and respect OSHA’s mission, it is disappointing that its press release does not call attention to the positive attributes OSHA recognized about Vallourec Star,” Wallace added.