Industrial Accident Results In OSHA Investigation

By John Voket

An industrial accident Monday at the Rand-Whitney Container facility at the intersection of Edmond and Schoolhouse Hill Roads has led to an investigation by the regional office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Just after 5 pm, emergency crews converged on the facility after a report of an individual being injured by a forklift.

According to unconfirmed reports, an individual may have suffered having a leg partially or fully amputated by the machine.

Area Director Robert Kowalski of the Bridgeport OSHA office confirmed that he had an investigator at the site Tuesday, for much of the day. He said he was notified by local police or fire sources at 11:13 pm Monday evening about the incident, which triggered him dispatching a “compliance officer.”

Mr Kowalski said that mandatory investigations are triggered when there is a workplace death or catastrophe, but it is not uncommon for local authorities to notify OSHA when there is an industrial accident.

“We’ll go out, look at the cause and factors contributing,” the OSHA officer said. “Once all the information is gathered, we will determine if there was compliance with OSHA standards.”

Mr Kowalski said generally, such an investigation will involve the inspection of the site and equipment involved, interviews with witnesses, and if possible, the employee involved.

“Typically, we have six months to conclude investigations, but we try and report findings within 90 days,” he said. In cases where citations are issued for noncompliance, the company involved has 15 working days to dispute or contest any charges. At that point the case is transferred to the district OSHA office in Boston.

In those situations, final reports are not issued until all aspects are resolved.

Currently, the Newtown Rand-Whitney facility has no OSHA actions or violations on file.