OSHA fines Kyle manufacturer nearly $300K for workplace violations
The U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a Kyle manufacturer for allegedly exposing workers to hazards related to unsafe machine operations, potential falls and lack of personal protective equipment.
OSHA announced Friday that it’s proposing penalties of $298,338 for Simwon NA Corp. OSHA stated that it began an inspection on the company in June 2022 where it identified one willful violation for failing to control hazardous energy to prevent sudden machine startups.
OSHA said it also issued more than a dozen citations for the company’s failure to follow required safety procedures. OSHA also found that Simwon NA Corp. failed to provide procedures for safe entry into permit required confined spaces, prevent workers’ exposures to slips, trips and fall hazards; provide workers with required safety equipment; and provide procedures for safe crane operations.
“OSHA found that — despite concerns voiced by its workers — Simwon NA Corp. ignored serious safety issues, putting its workers at risk,” OSHA Area Director Casey Perkins said. “The company must act quickly to comply with federal safety standards before an employee suffers serious injury or worse.”
Simwon NA Corp., which is a subsidiary of the Myung Shin Industries Co. Ltd. in South Korea, supplies doors for vehicles built at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory in Austin.
OSHA said Simwon NA Corp. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
