OSHA issued 14 citations to U.S. Minerals LLC and fined the company $110,400 for safety and health violations that include repeatedly exposing workers at its Harvey, La., facility to electrocution, falls, and other hazards. U.S. Minerals manufactures coal slag that is ground up through a series of screeners and a crusher, with the end product being a fine grit for sandblasting.

OSHA inspectors cited the company for violations that could have resulted in the death or serious harm of workers. This is the third fine OSHA issued against U.S. Minerals in about as many months. Two separate inspections of its Baldwin, Ill., facility resulted in fines of $158,200 (Aug. 5) and $466,400 (Sept. 9) for unsafe ladders, machines that were not cut off from their power sources during maintenance and exposing workers to dangerously high levels of silica dust and other hazards.

This inspection was conducted under OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which focuses enforcement efforts on certain employers who defy or ignore their OSH Act obligations. SVEP establishes procedures and enforcement actions such as mandatory follow-up inspections and inspections of other worksites of the same company where similar hazards or deficiencies may be present.