The big bad Occupational Safety and Health Administration is back to acting like the Gestapo again, according to the Macsteel Service Center USA which is SHOCKED and OUTRAGED that Indiana OSHA fined them the outrageous sum of $2,500 for crushing David Pineda to death under a load of steel beams last July.
IOSHA issued the $2,500 fine for what it called a "serious" violation to a safety order in connection with Pineda's death.A company spokesman said that Macsteel was contesting "each and every violation, penalty and abatement" because they didn't have time to reach an informal resolution to the safety order.
The agency states: "The company did not establish and maintain conditions of work which were reasonably safe and healthful for employees and free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in that the employees were exposed to: falling steel beams."
Plus, after a September inspection, the agency found that although the company had a written crane training program is in place, the program hadn't been implemented.
"Macsteel Service Centers USA has always and will continue to act as a good corporate citizen," said Victor Shames, executive vice president, corporate human resources. "We are proud to be an integral part of communities in which we operate and we are committed to upholding our moral, civic and legal responsibilities."(emphasis added)Macsteel's web page ensures its customers that its safety management program shows how they're dealing with "a responsible and reliable company."
$2500 really is too much. Hell, Pineda should have felt honored to give his life for such a responsible and reliable "good corporate citizens" who uphold their moral, civic and legal responsibilities. How dare OSHA harass and abuse them.
