Flooring manufacturer exposed workers to willful, serious safety violations, fined $300K by OSHA
An OSHA investigation has determined that Ecore International Inc’s Mexia plant was exposing its workers to various safety and health hazards. The company, which produces commercial flooring and surfaces, was cited for one willful violation and 15 serious violations. These violations include making workers stand on elevated forklift tines to access hard-to-reach areas, allowing combustible dust to build up, failing to provide a safe area for welding, and not implementing required safety guards on various machines. Due to these violations, the company faces $299,591 in proposed penalties. Additionally, an OSHA inspection of Ecore’s plant in Ozark, Alabama, found more violations, including unguarded machines and electrocution and amputation hazards.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, OSHA Area Director Monica Camacho said, “Ecore International must extend the innovation it credits for its company’s success to the safety and health of the people who help make and sell its products. At the company’s Mexia facility, our inspectors found employees forced to climb atop forklifts to do their jobs, workers exposed to potential dangers of fire and explosion, and many unprotected from the risks of falls and unguarded machines, all of which provides a formula for serious or fatal injuries.”
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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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