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    Tuesday, October 22, 2024

    Groton foundry faces $100,000 fine

    Groton — A foundry on Poquonnock Road cited for serious workplace violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is facing more than $100,000 in fines.

    PCC Structurals, which creates steel components for the aerospace and energy industries as well as for other commercial ventures, was cited for 20 serious violations Feb. 19, OSHA said in a press release. The metal-castings manufacturer had been cited for two other serious violations after a Jan. 5 inspection.

    The February inspection resulted in proposed penalties of $90,000 for the company. The earlier report had called for $14,000 in fines.

    "Our inspections identified a disturbing cross-section of hazards," Warren Simpson, OSHA's area director based in Hartford, said in a statement.

    OSHA said hazards included lack of protection for workers around electrical equipment, exposed live electrical parts, lack of emergency eyewashes, inadequate safety glasses, flammable liquids improperly stored and unsecured compressed gas containers.

    The workplace hazards could have led to fires, explosions, amputations and hearing loss, among other concerns, OSHA said.

    "It's imperative for the health and well being of its employees that PCC Structurals takes comprehensive, effective and ongoing corrective action to eliminate these hazards," Simpson said.

    The company, which was cited earlier this year for being one of the region's top polluters, did not have an immediate comment about the allegations when contacted Monday afternoon. The company was No. 5 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of top toxic-chemical releasers in the region when the EPA released its 2016 Toxic Release Inventory report.

    PCC Structurals, a division of the Precision Castparts Corp. acquired in January by Berkshire Hathaway for $37.2 billion, was given 15 business days to come in compliance with OSHA rules. It can also contest OSHA's findings with a review board within the same timeframe.

    l.howard@theday.com

    Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow

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