LMI Finishing Inc. faces $284K in penalties for 24 safety violations

• OSHA cited an aeronautical parts manufacturer for exposing workers to nearly two dozen safety hazards following a complaint about a lax safety environment at the company’s plant in Catoosa, Oklahoma.
• OSHA cited LMI Finishing Inc. – operating as Sonaca North America – for 23 serious violations of OSHA safety standards related to confined spaces, fall hazards, and blocked exit routes.
• OSHA inspectors found the employer did not:
• Evaluate the hazards of permit space before entering.
  Did not develop or implement the procedures and practices for making safe entry into confined spaces.
• The agency has proposed $284,963 in penalties, which are set by federal statute.
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Whistleblower ruling could have a broader impact

• The Supreme Court held that a whistleblower does not need to show their employer acted with retaliatory intent to prove retaliation under a federal law that protects financial investors.
• Instead, the Justices unanimously held that a whistleblower bringing a claim under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) needs to show that their protected activity.
• OSHA enforces whistleblower provisions for more than 20 whistleblower statutes, including SOX and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
• Moreover, the Supreme Court of the United States ruling could impact whistleblower protections under laws that are similarly structured to SOX.
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Brewery owner in North Carolina killed

• One of the founders of Wooden Robot Brewery, Dan Wade, was killed in an accident at their South End taproom.
• Wooden Robot had posted a sign saying they were closing both of their taprooms until further notice due to unforeseen circumstances. WCCB confirmed it was due to a deadly fall.
• Wade was pronounced dead shortly before 2 p.m. at the South End location. They were dispatched to the address for a fall.
• The North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division was notified and has begun investigating.
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Michigan OSHA wants more information from employers

• Michigan OSHA amended its existing administrative standard concerning covered employers’ recording and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses.
• The purpose of the amendment was to align the standard with federal OSHA’s new reporting requirements that went into effect on Jan. 1.
• Under MIOSHA’s amended standard Michigan employers must, on an annual basis, electronically provide federal OSHA (or its designee) detailed information about each recordable injury and illness entered on their previous year’s MIOSHA or OSHA Forms 300 and 301.
• Michigan employers with this new reporting obligation include those who had 100 or more employees at any time during the previous calendar year and are part of a high-hazard industry.
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