The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 25 citations and proposed $177,000 in fines against International Cushioning Co. in Fremont after an investigation into serious burns sustained by a worker.
OSHA, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, said in a news release issued Monday that it had conducted an investigation into conditions at the 2101 W. Cedar St. manufacturing plant that resulted in second-degree burns to the arm of a 25-year-old worker in February. The agency opened its investigation Feb. 10 after learning of the worker's injury and receiving a referral by local fire officials that alleged there were fire hazards at the plant due to poor housekeeping of combustibles and flammables.
According to the OSHA release, the worker was removing polyethylene foam from an extruding machine when static electricity ignited isobutane, a colorless, flammable gas released in the manufacturing process. Heated foam melted onto and burned the employee's arm, the statement read.
The OSHA document also said that inspectors found industrial fans positioned on the foam line that were not properly rated for use in hazardous atmospheres, and that the employer failed to provide spark-resistant hand tools. Those violations, OSHA said, exposed workers to potential ignition hazards. It said further that the company also failed to provide adequate protective equipment for workers' hands, arms and feet.
“A young worker might have been spared these serious injuries if International Cushioning Company met specific federal standards for the safe operation of foam manufacturing equipment,” said OSHA Area Director Todd Jensen in Toledo.
ICC is a commercial packaging manufacturer with facilities in New Jersey, Texas and North Carolina that supplies its customers with a range of solutions, including corner board, PE foam, bubble pack, rolled paper products, corrugated paper wrap and more.
Jensen said in OSHA's news release that inspectors identified more than two dozen violations and related hazards that the company will be required to address.
The Feb. 10 inspection led the agency to cite the company for failing to report an injury within 24 hours, as required; allowing operation of machinery, including grinders, pulleys and belts, without required safety guards; lacking common lockout/tag-out procedures; failing to train employees as required; not ensuring use of electrical safe work practices, and permitting unsafe operation of powered industrial vehicles.
A March 2 inspection found unsanitary conditions and process safety management violations and reported that the company lacked a hearing conservation program and an emergency action plan, the news release said. The company was given 15 days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
The New Jersey-based company has operated its Fremont plant since 2020. International Cushioning officials in Fremont and New Jersey did not respond to requests for comment on this article.