June 2021 Enforcement
$558K in fines for Texas bath, shower manufacturer for willful, repeat safety violations
Moving machine parts have the potential to cause serious or fatal injuries when safety protections and procedures are ignored, and yet a Waco bath and shower manufacturer once again failed to provide its employees a safe and healthful workplace.
An inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in November 2020 found Clarke Products Inc. failed to use required machine guards and cited the manufacturer for 19 violations. The violations included willful and repeated failures related to machine guarding and fall protection. Proposed penalties total $558,821. In October 2018, OSHA cited Clarke Products for failing to ensure the use of guards.
“The willful and repeat violations found during this inspection show Clarke Products’ ignored required worker safety protections,” said OSHA Area Director Timothy Minor in Fort Worth. “OSHA will cite employers who disregard their legal responsibility to provide workers with a safe workplace.”
