Parts manufacturer fined $298K for exposing workers to amputation hazards and other injuries
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An OSHA investigation has determined that Walker Midwest LLC exposed workers to multiple injuries and amputation hazards. The company failed to guard industrial equipment, develop a lockout/tagout program and train workers on machine safety procedures. The investigation began after OSHA received a complaint related to hazards under the National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries. Walker Midwest was cited for one willful and 13 serious violations. These violations include failing to add required guarding to machines and allowing maintenance and service on machines without lockout/tagout procedures. The company faces $298,453 in penalties.
In a recent quote, OSHA Area Director Jacob Scott said, “Failing to train workers on machine safety procedures and allowing them to operate unguarded machines is inviting disaster. Lockout/tagout procedures have been an OSHA and industry standard for decades and there is no excuse for any manufacturer to fail to develop, implement and train workers in these safety procedures.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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