After a 40-year-old worker suffered the partial amputation of one finger and an injury to a second one while cleaning a machine at a metal buildings manufacturer in January 2022, federal workplace safety inspectors found the company willfully exposed the worker to amputation hazards.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that a lack of functional machine safety locks allowed the rag the worker was using to become caught and pulled into the machine's steel rollers, leading to the injury.

OSHA cited Corle Building Systems Inc. in Imler for a willful violation for inadequate machine guarding. The agency also cited the company for four serious violations for failing to develop lockout/tagout procedures to prevent unexpected machine start-up, perform an annual review of its lockout/tagout program and ensure the machine was locked out before workers began cleaning it.

The company faces $154,143 in proposed penalties.

“Corle Building Systems failure to comply with required machine guarding standards led to a serious and preventable injury,” said OSHA Area Director Christopher Robinson in Pittsburgh. “Employers are legally responsible for inspecting all equipment regularly, ensuring machine guards and safety devices are working properly and training workers on how to do their jobs safely.”

Corle Building Systems Inc. designs and manufactures rigid frame clear span and multiple span buildings, including commercial buildings, warehouses, schools, churches, recreational facilities and airplane hangars.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about machine guarding hazards and how to protect workers from amputations.