Wis. manufacturer fined $159K in serious workplace injury

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Weston, Wisconsin-based manufacturer for one serious and two repeated violations for machine safety failures following a serious workplace injury.

An employee working at Crystal Finishing Systems Inc.’s aluminum extrusion facility in Weston was hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a puller machine while trying to unjam a piece of aluminum.

OSHA investigated the Dec. 21, 2021, incident and determined 6-foot chain-link safety guards were not affixed around the 8-inch extrusion press line to prevent workers from coming in contact with the puller. Additionally, the press line was not locked out to prevent unintentional machine movement during service and maintenance, and the employer failed to train workers on machine safety procedures.

OSHA cited Crystal Finishing for one serious and two repeated violations and proposed penalties of $159,522. The company was cited for similar machine safety violations eight times between 2012 and 2019.