A local industrial manufacturer faces a six-figure fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration due to a string of safety violations discovered at its Bellefontaine plant at1301 W. Sandusky Ave.
HBD Thermoid Inc., an industrial hose maker, is facing a $321,489 OHSA fine for repeated violations of workplace safety. This marks OSHA’s eighth investigation into the company since 2013. A March 25 letter from OHSA to Thermoid’s corporate office in Dublin details a slew of violations and oversights.
The violations cited by OSHA encompass a range of serious issues, including inadequate machine guarding, lapses in electrical safety practices and deficiencies in training related to lockout/tagout procedures aimed at preventing sudden machine start-ups or movement. These violations underscore a systemic failure to prioritize employee safety within the company, OHSA officials said.
“The lack of safety procedures throughout the HBD/Thermoid plant and the company’s inaction shows that they remain indifferent to their obligation to protect their employees,” said OSHA Area Director Todd Jensen in Toledo. “For more than a decade, the company has jeopardized its employees’ well-being by not making workplace safety and health a priority.”
The consequences of these safety lapses are not theoretical. In June 2023, a 25-year-old employee suffered severe injuries at the same Bellefontaine facility, prompting further scrutiny from OSHA. In December of the same year, OSHA concluded its investigation into the incident, issuing citations for two repeat violations, one willful violation, one serious violation and one other-than-serious violation. The proposed penalties amounted to $389,534. However, the company is currently contesting these citations.
Even as the company contests the June 2023 fine, corporate officials offer little comment about the most recent OHSA fine.
Read more from this story in Thursday’s hard copy edition of the Examiner.