Three serious safety violations were found during a recent state inspection of a Jayco plant in Middlebury.
This story by Jordan Fouts originally appeared in The Elkhart Truth.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Indiana Department of Labor found the three violations while inspecting Jayco Building No. 7 at 903 S. Main St. The inspection was held May 3 and the penalty notification was given June 12.
According to the notification, the three serious types of violation were found in the mill room.
One violation was given because procedures weren’t developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in certain activities. Employees changed saw blades on a panel saw without the energy being effectively isolated and locked out, exposing them to potential hazards such as being caught in the machinery or being struck by something, the notice states.
The second serious violation was issued because authorized employees didn’t receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control, according to the notice. It states that employees who changed saw blades on a panel saw were not effectively trained in energy isolation, exposing them to the same hazards.
The third serious violation was given because suitable guards and exhaust hoods weren’t provided to reduce to a minimum the hazard at the point of operation of a horizontal panel saw. Segments of the safety curtain were missing from certain panel saws, exposing employees to catch hazards, according to the notice.
Each violation carries a proposed penalty of $4,500. The company was given until July 16 to address them.
