Ohio company cited in worker's death. OSHA rules fatal crushing injury was preventable

The U.S. Department of Labor has found that an Ohio company failed to protect a worker from hazards that resulted in their death.

Faurecia Emissions Control Systems NA LLC --a subsidiary of Faurecia North America, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers -- could have prevented the 26-year-old employee from being fatally crushed in October 2023 if the company had provided proper machine guarding. The company faces $314,555 in proposed penalties, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration say the worker, on the job for about a year, was placing cardboard under a machine that bends vehicle exhaust pipes when the incident happened.

OSHA issued 10 citations after finding the company did not properly train employees, along with a machine guarding violation.

Investigators determined the employer failed to include detailed steps for lockout/tagout procedures, test its safety procedures annually and guard machines adequately. Based on these alleged violations, Faurecia exposed machine operators to struck-by and caught-between hazards.

In 2022, OSHA cited the company, which manufactures auto components, for similar violations at the same location in Franklin, Ohio, a city between Cincinnati and Dayton.

“Faurecia Emissions Control Systems could have prevented this tragedy by having proper machine guarding that would have protected employees from contact with moving machine parts,” said OSHA Area Director Ken Montgomery in Cincinnati. “Safety requirements are just that, required. This company failed in its legal responsibility to ensure workers were protected from workplace hazards.”