Safety violations at the Associated Spring factory in Bristol have earned it a $143,000 fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The agency, which oversees workplace inspections, found 53 “serious violations” at the plant. Those violations included instances where combustible materials were not cleaned up, kept in over-abundance and stored within five feet of something that could ignite them, OSHA said.
One particular concern to OSHA inspectors was the accumulation of a flammable material known as “cob dust” on the floors, machinery, ductwork and other factory surfaces. Cob dust, a byproduct of a process used in the factory to dry metal, is a combustible material
Explosive Situation
“Any time you have a six-figure penalty it’s a significant matter,” said OSHA spokesman Ted Fitzgerald. “You don’t have many at that level.”
Fitzgerald said his agency was prompted to inspect the plant, at 18 Main St., after the Department of Labor found a high number of lost workdays or injuries at the plant. OSHA assessed the fines after making two inspections at the plant.
C. William Freeman III, the Hartford area’s OSHA director, said the amount of dust accumulated in the factory was “particularly disturbing, since dust explosions usually occur without warning, causing injuries, deaths and substantial property damage.”
