Dlubak Aims to Clear OSHA Violations
October 19, 2012

by Casey Neeley, cneeley@glass.com

Dlubak Glass Co. Inc., of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, is working to resolve a situation involving 13 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations the glass recycling plant was fined with in September.

In a letter to customers, H. Herb Schall, director of the Upper Sandusky plant, said, "After an 'informal conference' the morning of October 4 with the OSHA Region 5 Toledo, Ohio regional office personnel and the assistant director, Dlubak and OSHA agreed to complete third party air and audio testing in our two Upper Sandusky, Ohio glass processing facilities and re-train personnel on personal hygiene in regards to working with lead- and cadmium-containing substances."

Schall stated in the letter that the OSHA Region 5 office in Chicago did not agree to the solution proposed in the informal conference, but noted that "Dlubak will continue to work with OSHA while going ahead with the solutions agreed to at the informal conference." Dlubak anticipates the re-training will be completed by November 30.

OSHA says that no agreement has been reached. "They elected to contest the citations, penalties and fines," says Denise Keller, assistant area director for OHSA's Toledo office. "There has been no settlement agreement reached."

The warehouse in question has been closed until the matter is resolved.

The citation, issued for the Upper Sandusky, Ohio plant on September 19, results from a March 20, 2012 plant inspection that found workers were exposed to overwhelming occupational hazards resulting from a lack of provided protective gear, workplace noise resulting from a loud work environment, increased risk of head injuries without provided helmets, as well as overexposure to lead and cadmium.

The 13 violations, deemed serious by OSHA, focus on the plant's violations of the lead standard. The numerous violations include a failure to implement work control practices, maintain record of cadmium exposure levels, failure to offer access to clean changing rooms or storage facilities for protective gear and clothing to avoid cross-contamination as well as a lack of provided medical monitoring to track exposure levels.

Editor’s Note: Though our readers may be familiar with Dlubak Glass Corp. based in Blairsville, Pa., that corporation is not owned or operated by the same entity and is not affiliated with the Dlubak Company in this article.

This story is an original story by AGRR™ magazine/glassBYTEs.com™. Subscribe to AGRR™ Magazine.
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