OSHA cites firm for exposing workers to energy, equipment hazards

A New Albany, Mississippi-based polyester fiber manufacturer is facing $220,544 in proposed penalties for exposing workers to multiple hazards.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Custom Nonwoven Inc., a subsidiary of Korea Synthetic Fibers Inc., citations after an inspection found the company exposed workers to “unguarded machines; electrocution and burns from exposed electrical wires and control cabinets; and falls from walkways that were not equipped with guardrails,” the department said in a statement Wednesday.

Custom Nonwoven was cited for two willful, seven serious and five other-than-serious violations, according the statement.

“The hazards this company was cited for are preventable,” said Courtney Bohannon, Jackson-based OSHA acting area director. “Following basic safety requirements can be the difference between workers returning home safely or suffering a severe injury or worse.”

A Custom Nonwoven spokesman declined to comment.