EH&S Insider Blog

The case studies that follow demonstrate how the lack of safety procedures and education can result in serious if not fatal injuries.

Workers Comp Case 1 Outagamie v. Labor and Industry Review Commission What happened: In this slip, trips, and falls case, a County maintenance employee was on call for emergencies. On a day when the roads were icy, the County called him, while he was at home, to do a repair. After completing the job, he drove home and parked in his garage. While walking from his garage to his house, he slipped on ice on his driveway, fell and hurt himself. He filed a Workers Comp claim.

The following 3 case studies illustrate the importance of lockout / tagout programs. They also discuss the unfortunate consequences of not having or not using lockout / tagout.

OSHA Proposes $130,200 in Fines to Aluminum Plant for Willful Exposures Company: Matalco US Inc., Canton, Ohio Scope: Matalco US is under investigation by the US Department of Labor for exposing workers to amputation, fall hazards and unsafe crane operations.

OSHA Fines Lazarus Energy for Exposing Workers Company: Lazarus Energy LLC Scope: OSHA discovered 11 safety violations, mainly for exposing workers to chemical hazards at its Nixon refinery. What Happened: OSHA inspected Lazarus Energy LLC in July of 2013 after a referral from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA was focusing on the refinery's process safety management program for handling flammable liquids in excess of 10,000 pounds. The 10 serious process safety management violations cited include a failure to properly compile process safety information for vessels, piping, and other equipment; resolve previous process hazard analysis action items; update communication operating procedures; complete and update a thorough process hazard analysis; compile and implement written procedures for mechanical integrity; and implement a management of change program.