OSHA has inspected Ecm Development Corp. once in Pennsylvania.
The inspection began on Aug 23, 2021 on a referral, in Fombell.
That inspection ended with 2 citation items: 2 serious.
Penalties were first proposed at $8,582 and now stand at $6,000, 30% lower after settlements or reviews.
How that compares: the median penalty per cited inspection for manufacturing employers since 2015 is $3,600, and Ecm Development Corp. averages $6,000 (1 cited inspection).
Ecm Development Corp. also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.
It reported 1 severe injury to OSHA since 2015.
Citation items per year, by inspection date.
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Incident on Aug 18, 2021: Employee breaks ribs, injures arm cutting drum that explodes
At 10:45 a.m. on August 18, 2021, an employee working as a production tester for a specialty transformer manufacturer was preparing to cut the lid off a 55-gallon drum. The drum had contained varnish and the contents had been emptied into a vat. The drum was then placed in an oven and baked for approximately 8 hours. The employee was preparing to cut the lid with a plasma cutter. He touched the torch to the metal at which time the drum exploded. The caps to the lid had not been removed prior to the drum being processed causing some vapors to still be trapped inside the drum. The vapors ignited inside the drum causing the explosion. The employee was hospitalized to treat broken ribs and nerve damage to the lower portion of his right arm.
From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.
In 2023, the Fombell site logged 0 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 20 workers: 0.0 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 1.4 for its industry.
Site and year
Workers
Cases
Days-away cases
Rate
Industry median
ECM Development Corporation
Fombell · 2023
20
0
0
0.0
1.4
Acutran
Fombell · 2022
19
0
0
0.0
1.4
Severe injury reports
Employers must report any work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization or loss of an eye to OSHA within 24 hours. 1 report on file.
Aug 18, 2021, Fombell: Hospitalization · fractures · chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders
An employee was using a handheld plasma torch to cut the lid off a 55-gallon barrel. The barrel exploded, and the employee suffered broken ribs.
The rules behind these citations
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
(e) Written hazard communication program. (1) Employers shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program which at least describes how the criteria specified in paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of this section for labels and other forms of warning, safety data sheets, and employee information and training will be met, and which also includes the following:
(C) In the presence of explosive atmospheres (mixtures of flammable gases, vapors, liquids, or dusts with air), or explosive atmospheres that may develop inside uncleaned or improperly prepared tanks or equipment which have previously contained such materials, or that may develop in areas with an accumulation of combustible dusts.
Other power, distribution, and specialty transformer manufacturing employers in Pennsylvania
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.
