The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited von Drehle Corp. for a number of workplace safety hazards at the firm’s Natchez, MS paper products manufacturing plant, the agency announced in a release Wednesday. 

von Drehle Corp. was fined $303,657 after OSHA investigators found electrical hazards, accumulations of combustible dust on surfaces, and slip, trip, and fall hazards at the Natchez facility. von Drehle also was cited for failing to lockout machinery to control hazardous energy, lacking machine guarding, and exposing workers to arc-flash. 

“Employers are required to assess potential hazards, and make necessary corrections to ensure a safe workplace,” OSHA Jackson Area Office Director Courtney Bohannon said in a statement. “The inspection results demonstrate workplace deficiencies existed putting workers at serious risk of injury or death.”

The company has 15 business days after receiving the citations to comply, challenge the findings before an independent board, or request an informal conference with an OSHA area director. 

For more news headlines, articles, and equipment reviews, visit our Equipment Zones