Serious safety violations found at Winnebago in Middlebury, Ind., resulted in $15,000 in proposed penalties.
This story by Jordan Fouts originally appeared in The Elkhart Truth.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Indiana Department of Labor inspected the facility at 201 14th St. on Nov. 6. The inspector found three serious violations and one non-serious violation, according to an order issued on Dec. 11.
Each of the serious violations carries a proposed penalty of $5,000. Those included: Not providing training to each employee who is required to use personal protection equipment, including gloves, on knowing when the equipment is necessary. The violation was corrected at the time of inspection.
A table saw was not effectively guarded because the hood was elevated 2.5 inches above the table surface, exposing employees to a caught-by hazard. The company was given until Jan. 16 to correct the violation.
Push sticks were not available for employees to use when operating the table saw, exposing them to a potential caught-by hazard. The issue was corrected at the time of inspection.
The non-serious violation, for failing to conduct a workplace hazard assessment to see if protective equipment was needed, does not have a proposed penalty. The company was given until Jan. 16 to correct the error.