Metal coating firm cited for chemical, machine safety hazards

An Ohio metal coating company has been cited and is facing $115,500 in proposed fines from federal health and safety regulators for exposing employees to acid, chemical and machine hazards.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Sylvania, Ohio-based Moore Chrome Products Co. for one willful, five repeat and four serious violations for exposing its workers to splashing acid and other hazards, the agency said Wednesday in a statement.

Inspectors found that workers dipping and coating metal parts in acid-plating tanks lacked proper clothing and protection for their eyes and faces, according to the release. They also found Moore Chrome failed to protect employees from respiratory hazards, did not meet required safety standards for the chemicals in use and allowed machines to operate without adequate safety guards.

A 2012 OSHA inspection found similar hazards, and inspectors found the current violations during a follow-up inspection conducted in February.

“Moore Chrome Products continues to maintain an environment where employees are exposed to serious chemical and machinery hazards,” Kim Nelson, area director of OSHA’s Toledo, Ohio, office, said in the statement. “The company needs to re-evaluate its safety and health programs to ensure workers are provided with the equipment and the training they need to prevent injury and illness on the job.”

A company spokesman declined to comment.