SHELBYVILLE, Ind.
(AP) - A central Indiana automotive glass factory will pay a record $495,500
to settle workplace safety violations that were uncorrected following a
worker’s 2010 death, the Indiana Department of Labor said Wednesday.
An agreement filed
with the Indiana Board of Safety Review settles violations at a Pilkington
North America plant in Shelbyville, the department said. The penalties for
violations and inspections are the most expensive in the history of the
Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"This agreement
stresses the seriousness of the safe operation of production machinery and
will create a significantly safer workplace for Pilkington employees,” Labor
Commissioner Rick Ruble said in a statement.
Pilkington must
post warning signs on or near hazards, provide training for employees and
dedicate staff to eliminate all remaining hazards, the department said.
Pilkington must correct the safety violations by the end of 2014.
Toledo, Ohio-based
Pilkington issued a statement saying “it has always strived to maintain the
highest standards and expectations when it comes to the safety of our
workers.”
IOSHA first
inspected the plant after 56-year-old Kelly Dean Caudill of Connersville,
who worked 19 years in electrical maintenance at Pilkington, was fatally
crushed in September 2010 while repairing a conveyor at the plant about 25
miles southeast of Indianapolis. IOSHA issued several orders to Pilkington
to correct safety issues, but a follow-up inspection in early 2012 found
that violations persisted.
State officials
returned to the 350-worker factory in 2012 for a comprehensive inspection,
because employees complained of ongoing safety problems, a Labor Department
spokesman said at the time. A second worker was injured in an unrelated
accident in October 2012.
Keith Coon,
president of United Steelworkers Local 7703, which represents workers at the
plant, also signed the agreement between Pilkington and the Labor
Department.
Pilkington produces
glass for automakers including Honda, Toyota and General Motors.