The actions against the Findlay, Ohio-based Sanoh America include one repeat citation for exposing workers to fire hazards, dangerous fumes and other safety hazards at the company's Findlay plant.

An OSHA inspection – initiated based on a complaint – determined that the facility's plating line had caught fire during production earlier in the year. OSHA cited the repeat violation for failing to develop, document and utilize procedures to control potentially hazardous energy in relation to the incident. No injuries were reported. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. Similar violations were cited in 2009 at the company's Mount Vernon facility.

Twelve serious violations involve failing to install energy-isolating devices where needed, isolate energy sources, conduct periodic inspections, develop and implement safety-related work practices, provide necessary personal protective equipment and periodically test electrical protective equipment, and provide a heat-actuated, shut-off device on a paint pumping system.

The company has been inspected by OSHA 10 times since 1990, resulting in various citations for failing to provide machine guarding and personal protective equipment as well as to implement and utilize lockout/tagout procedures.

Sanoh America, which employs about 700 workers, manufactures automotive parts such as brake tubes, fuel tubes and brazed products at plants in Findlay and Mount Vernon, Ohio; Scottsboro, Ala.; Carthage, Miss.; and the Canadian city of Orangeville, Ontario.