Sept. 2, 2015

Home builder fails to protect workers from unsafe machinery, falls and other
safety hazards
OSHA cites Cavco Industries Inc. for 15 violations; fines total $67K

Employer's name: Cavco Industries Inc., in Seguin, Texas

Citations issued: Sept. 2, 2015

Investigation findings: Cavco was cited for 15 serious violations, including:

• Failing to control the accumulation of construction debris and waste that creates a slip, trip and fall hazard.
• Not providing proper fall protection for workers on framed structures.
• Not preventing machines from starting up during servicing.
• Not installing proper machinery guards.
• Not repairing recognized electrical hazards.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the March 2015 inspection as part of the agency's Site Specific Targeting program and the National Emphasis Program on Amputations.

Proposed Penalties: $67,000

Quote: "A repeat citation for fall protection, especially from a building manufacturer of modular home structures like Cavco, shows a complete lack of responsibility for the safety of its workers," said Casey Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin. "The employer failed to find and fix serious hazards that put worker safety in jeopardy. OSHA will not tolerate such negligence."

Link to the citations: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/Cavco_Industries_Inc_1043543_0902_15.pdf*

Information: Cavco, which employs about 175 workers at its factory in Seguin, 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 Austin Area Office at 512-374-0271. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov

# # #

Media Contacts:

Diana Petterson, 972-850-4710, petterson.diana@dol.gov
Juan Rodriguez, 972-850-4709, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

Release Number: 15-1686-DAL

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department's Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).

*Accessibility Assistance: Contact OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 for assistance accessing PDF materials.