KINGMAN, Kan. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration this week issued a Citation and Notification of Penalty to Great Lakes Polymer Technologies LLC, which operates as FabPro Polymers in Kingman.
Multiple serious violations were cited.
The OSHA report noted that on August 4, 2022, an employee was fatally injured while working on the Compression Auto Bagger machine and attempting to unjam a clog in the chute connected to Tipper #1 without utilizing procedures for the control of potentially hazardous energy.
In the CAB Area, the rotating agitator on the Compression Auto Bagger (CAB) machine at Tipper #1 was guarded by a metal grate. The metal guard was connected to an interlock switch designed to shut the machine off when the grate was opened.
On August 4, 2022, an employee was fatally injured when he opened the metal grate and the machine failed to shut off. The employee became entangled in the rotating agitator and died. The machine failed to shut off because the interlock was bypassed with duct tape so that when the guard was opened the agitator continued to rotate.
As a result of the bypassed interlock, employees, including the person that died, were exposed to struck-by, amputation, and caught-between hazards from the unguarded rotating agitator on Tipper #1 when the grate was opened.
Also, the report said that the company had a repeat violation.
In the Extrusion Area, employee(s) engaged in production activities at the #2 Godet of the Line 11 extrusion machine were exposed to amputation and caught in hazards in that the protruding rollers for the machine were not guarded. The company had previously been cited for a violation of the same occupational safety and health standard in a 2019 inspection report.
The total proposed penalties from all violations equal $292,421.00.
Fabpro produces synthetic fibers for reinforced concrete and other applications. The company has 15 days from the receipt of the citations to comply or contest the findings.