Morgan Corporation, based in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, was hit with 24 health and safety violations that carry $93,000 in fines after an inspection of a manufacturing plant in Georgia. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited the plant in July and also discovered a repeat violation from a 2007 inspection of a plant in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

OSHA cited 17 serious violations, an offense that occurs when death or serious injury is a substantial probability due to a hazard that the employer knew about or should have known. The amount of serious violations could have led to myriad workplace accidents, and if a worker had suffered fatal harm from as a direct result of one of these violations, a wrongful death suit could have been brought against Morgan Corp.

Of the serious violations Morgan Corp. received, obstructed exits, electrical deficiencies, and a failure to train employees on a hazardous energy control program and hazardous chemicals were referenced.

The scope of the violations found by OSHA points to an unsafe working environment at Morgan Corp. The repeat violation - failure to provide welding screens for those welding and those nearby - should put the practices and procedures at the company under scrutiny. Welding is a dangerous act when improperly performed and can lead to loss of vision and serious skin burns.

The director of OSHA's Atlanta-West Area Office was critical of Morgan Corp. "This employer is putting workers at risk by exposing them to electrical, amputations and fire hazards," he said, adding that "It is the employer's responsibility to provide a safe and healthful workplace to prevent from workers from being injured."

Source: OSHA, "Pennsylvania manufacturer cited by US Department of Labor's OSHA for safety and health violations at Rydal, Ga., plant; $93,000 proposed in fines," Michael D'Aquino and Michael Wald, Jan. 25, 2012