Necessary step taken to offer facility with safe

Necessary step taken to offer facility with safe

The Labour department officials have filed cases against 17 cement dealers in the city of Madurai, India, after a surprise raid at their shops revealed that the cement bags they were selling weighed less than their original weight.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Labor, four of the violations have been committed in the past at the facility. The inspection came about because of a complaint issued against the concrete manufacturer, according to the Labor Department. The penalties imposed against the company for the violations could amount to $47,286.
The raid was carried out on Wednesday night after the department received complaints from the public and consumer forums about discrepancies in the weight of the cement bags sold by dealers.
N Govindan, assistant commissioner of the labour department said,
"When we weighed the cement bags in the shops in front of the dealers, we found that the 50 kg bag weighed only 48 kg and in many shops, there were discrepancies, in the weight. We have found such discrepancies in 17 shops out of the 62 that we raided and have filed cases against them under the Legal Metrological Act 2009, rules 2011.”
“The repeat violations involve failing to provide an adequate respiratory protection system and ‘lockout/tagout’ methods to prevent machinery from accidentally starting up,” according to a press release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.”
Each team carried an electronic weighing machine to conduct the spot inspection.
Many dealers claimed that such discrepancies have occurred for the first time and attributed faulty packaging as the reason.
"They told us that the weight loss could have occurred due to the use of hooks which cannot be accepted as the end customer pays for the 50 kg. Hence, we have filed cases against all 17 shops where the discrepancies were found and further measures will be taken by the department. We will be conducting more raids in the coming days," Govindan said.
The repeat violations could result in $18,340 in penalties. Universal Concrete was cited by OSHA for similar violations in 2007.
“This company continues to put its employees at risk of serious injury by not correcting previously cited hazards,” said Jean Kulp, director of OSHA’s Allentown area office. “It is imperative that the necessary steps are taken to provide workers at this facility with a safe and healthful work environment.”