May 12, 2016

OSHA cites McAllen telecommunications company for
safety failures that exposed workers to various dangers
Cinch Connectors Inc. fined $41K for 11 violations

Employer name: Cinch Connectors Inc.

Inspection Site: 6900 South Bentsen Rd., McAllen, TX

Citations issued: May 6, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the December 2015 inspection after a report that an employee at Cinch Connectors slipped and fell, and suffered injury. The agency cited the telecommunications connections company for seven serious and four other violations for having inadequate housekeeping, lack of noise monitoring and not performing audiometric testing, not assessing hazards, not having personal protective equipment for its workers, and having an inadequate lockout/tagout program.

Proposed penalties: The fines total $41,000

Quote: "Cinch Connectors did not assess the potential hazards associated with its production of telecommunications products and an employee suffered injury as a result," said Travis Clark, OSHA's Area Director in the Corpus Christi office. "Preventing hazards in the workplace must be this employer's top priority."

Citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/CinchConnectorsInc_1109755.pdf.

Information: Cinch Connectors manufactures and distributes interconnect products and solutions worldwide. Workers perform nonferrous metal rolling, drawing, and extruding metal parts production facility primarily engaged in the manufacture of products used in networking, telecommunications, high-speed data transmission, commercial aerospace, military, transportation, and consumer electronics. The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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 Corpus Christi office at 361-888-3420. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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Media Contacts:

Juan Rodríguez, 972-850-4709, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

Release Number: 16-959-DAL

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