With a history of safety violations dating back 15 years, an El Paso metal stamping plant is no stranger to warnings from OSHA.

In the latest action, the agency issued 13 safety and health citations to D&D Manufacturing Inc. following a recent inspection prompted by a formal complaint. The inspection identified 13 safety and health citations for exposing workers to amputations and other serious injuries from unsafe machinery, including a violation for ignoring the danger of allowing employees to work with a defective 500-pound metal press that the company knew had repeatedly dropped without warning.

13 after 36

Completed under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on Amputations*, the inspection resulted in $321,750 in proposed department fines for D&D. This inspection follows one in December 2014 that resulted in 36 federal citations for serious safety violations.

“D&D is aware of the dangers at its production facility, but has done nothing to correct them. An employee could have been seriously injured,” said Diego Alvarado Jr., OSHA’s area director in El Paso. “There is no reason, or excuse for a company to ignore basic safety requirements.”

Flying metal particles

OSHA cited the company for four willful, one repeated, six serious and two other violations. In addition to allowing workers to use the defective press, D&D did not ensure that employees on the production floor wore appropriate eye protection, given the risk of flying metal particles blinding them.

Additionally, the company failed to make sure employees used hearing protection in areas where noise levels were above the acceptable limits. The repeated violation was for failing to have all illuminated exit signs lit.

View the citations at https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/D_D_Manufacturing_1018388_0710_15.pdf*

D&D Manufacturing fabricates stamped, metal components for equipment manufacturers. The company has headquarters in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and employs about 37 workers in El Paso. It also has a facility in Mexico.