Automotive parts plant fined for recordkeeping violations

Automotive parts manufacturer Delphi Thermal & Interior, Lockport, N.Y., has received $42,000 in proposed penalties from the U.S. Labor Dept.'s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for failing to keep proper workplace injury and illness records.

OSHA's inspection identified 117 instances of unrecorded injuries or illnesses that resulted in days away from work or restricted duty for workers; 20 instances of unrecorded standard threshold shifts in employees' hearing; and 153 instances where injuries and illnesses were either not recorded at all or not recorded within seven days, as required.

Among the unrecorded conditions were work-related sprains, strains, fractures, tendonitis, neck, shoulder, knee, and back injuries. The inspection also found that 129 employees exposed to high noise levels did not receive a required annual audiogram and required training on noise hazards.