February 1st -devices have a “disturbing history of security errors” and could not take measures that could have prevented the death of a supervisor in July 2024 in the Decatur work.
Osha recommended the maximum legally permissible punishment for Haier Us Appliance Solutions, the parent company of GE devices in Decatur, from USD 193,585.
In his report on January 17, Osha said that the necessary machine standards on his point Mallard Drive Southeast refrigerator did not keep up, of which he said he had the death of a 58-year-old supervisor, Rodney Terry from Town Creek.
“Haier US Appliance Solutions could have avoided this tragedy, but put the production plans and profits into the safety of the employees,” said Joel Batiz, office director of the Osha area, in Birmingham. “The disturbing history of this company in security failures in its manufacturing process has a considerable risk of the more than 1,500 workers at his decoration location, which rely on a safe and healthy workplace.”
According to OSHA, the company did not follow any lockout procedures to improve the door shape machine before maintenance, enabled employees to avoid interlocking security doors in order to maintain access to the machine and do not maintain any annual inspections for locking methods.
GE devices had 15 days to pay for the punishment, to contest them or apply for an informal conference with Osha.
“We plan to meet OSHA to discuss the quotes and present our position,” said Julie Wood, spokeswoman for GE devices. “… GE devices were and are always deeply in security, and there is no problem that we as a company take seriously. We worked with the OSHA about the investigation of the incidents, but we are respectful with the conclusions of Osha disagreeing.
“It is against corporate guidelines and corporate training to avoid machine protection accessories and enter devices without improving and locking the devices.”
The deputy fire chief Nathan Springer said in July that they answered a call in the facility this morning to “take a piece of machine”. According to Osha, Terry was killed in a “carousel -like machine”.
Wood said the Decatur plant employed 1,600 people. Haier US Appliance Solutions is a subsidiary of the Haier Smart Home Company based in China.
Osha said GE Appliances' Decatur and Louisville, Kentucky, plants have had a history of 40 security inspections since 2016. “These inspections included many violations of machine safety, including two repeated and two serious violations of the demands on the lockout/dayout, which was cited after a 55-year requirements of 55 years, which were cited after a 55-year requirements. Deaths of the old worker in Louisville in February 2019, ”says the report.
According to Osha records, two “serious” quotes were issued in Decatur in March 2016, shortly before the plant was sold to Haier.
The procedures were not developed, documented or used to control “potentially dangerous energy” if the employees were involved in certain activities according to a quote.
“An employee has removed the security guard and grabbed the supply board and the encouragement of the neck to remove plastic deposits without locking out the equipment,” the food says. “
GE devices were filled with a fine of 5,100 US dollars. The second quote, which was issued in the same period, does not list a financial sentence.
“The employer has not offered any reasonable training to ensure that employees have acquired the knowledge and skills for the safe application, use and removal of energy control devices,” the second quote said. “An employee had not been trained on a safe way to remove excess material from the supply judge and the feed stand.”
-wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.