Airplane parts manufacturer faces OSHA fines

Smiths Aerospace Components faces $116,000 in fines from the U.S. Labor Dept.'s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for safety and health hazards at its 255 Sheldon Rd. plant in Manchester, Conn. The company was cited for 23 alleged repeat and serious safety and health violations following inspections begun in August 2004, under OSHA's site-specific targeting program that focuses on workplaces with higher-than-average lost workday injuries.

OSHA's inspections identified instances where safety interlocks were bypassed on mechanical power presses, exposing employees to being caught in the presses' moving parts; improper dispensing of flammable liquids; unauthorized modification of forklift trucks; unanchored and uninspected machinery; ungrounded electrical equipment and outlets; unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals; excess air pressure in a cleaning hose; and deficiencies in the plant's hearing conservation, bloodborne pathogen, and hazardous energy control programs.

OSHA had cited the plant for similar hazards in 2004.