Canton, Ohio-based special bar quality steel supplier Republic Engineer Products'(REP) Lorain, Ohio facility was given 13 safety citations and fines of $143,000 Monday from the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)for exposing workers to safety hazards.
The Lorain plant was fined $70,000 for a willful citation, meaning the violations were committed while knowing, or voluntarily disregarding the law's requirements or employee safety and health. The plant was also fined $47,500 for four repeat violations for not having safety latches on hoist hooks, and using lifting devices that weren't marked with their rated capacity. Finally, Republic's Lorain plant was given eight "serious" citations, meaning death or serious harm could result from conditions, with proposed fines totaling $25,000.
A spokesperson for REP has commented that the company is very concerned about the safety of workers at the plant, and will likely schedule a meeting with OSHA in the near future to discuss the violations.