April 21, 2016

OSHA cites machine hazards at GE Circleville Lamp Plant

Employer Name: General Electric, Circleville Lamp Plant, Circleville, Ohio

Citations issued: April 18, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued two repeated and three serious violations to General Electric. A December 2015 investigation found the manufacturer of specialty fluorescent lamps exposed workers to amputation and other serious injuries at its Circleville Lamp Plant.

An investigation by the agency's Columbus Area Office found the company failed to ensure:

• Adequate machine safety guards on conveyor belts and other operating machinery existed.
• The use of lockout/tag out procedures to prevent unintentional operation when machines are serviced and maintained, or when clearing jams or making adjustments.

In 2014, OSHA cited GE for these same hazards at the same facility, which employs about 185 workers. GE Lighting is part General Electric, the multi-billion dollar global high-tech industrial company in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Quote: "GE must implement proper machine safety procedures to avoid a tragic and preventable incident. Failure to implement these procedures is among the most frequently cited OSHA violations," said Linda Harrington, OSHA's acting area director in Columbus. "In 2015, Ohio employers reported 266 amputation injuries to OSHA. These injuries are preventable by installing machine safe guards and training worker in safety procedures."

Proposed Penalties: $88,000

View Citations here.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Columbus Area Office at 614-469-5582.

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Media Contacts:

Scott Allen, 312-353-6976, allen.scott@dol.gov
Rhonda Burke, 312-353-6976, burke.rhonda@dol.gov

Release Number: 16-776-CHI

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