The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Toledo area office cited Quality Ready Mix Inc., St. Mary's, OH, on Dec. 7, 2015, for one willful, three repeat, and two serious safety violations at the company's Van Buren cement silo hopper. The proposed penalties amount to $51,920.

OSHA's follow-up inspection found the company failed to:
* Develop permit required confined space procedures and train employees on such procedures
* Protect workers from operating parts of machinery by using locking and blocking devices
* Provide fall protection for employees working from heights
* Protect workers from electrical hazards.

The company was previously cited for each of these violations in 2013 at the same plant. The company contested the violations, which were affirmed as final order on Nov. 14, 2014, with respect to the same worksite.

"Quality Ready Mix needs to make immediate improvements to its safety programs at this plant," said Kimberly Nelson, OSHA's area director in Toledo. "It is disappointing when employers are cited for repeated violations because it demonstrates that they do not take safety seriously."

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