Glass Company Cited by OSHA Following Finger Amputation

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Ardagh Glass, Inc. for one willful and one serious violation after an employee suffered a finger amputation and crushed hand while removing a glass mold from a bottle-making machine. The proposed penalties for these citations total $77,000.The willful violation involves failing to implement lockout procedures on machines when workers are performing service and setup operations on equipment. OSHA defines a willful violation as “one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.”

The serious violation involves failing to guarantee that employees that operate equipment were protected to prevent contact with moving parts and molten glass. OSHA defines a serious violation as one that occurs “when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.”