Woburn Company Faces OSHA Fines

A Woburn-based company faces nearly $50,000 in U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines after an investigation.

According to Edmund Fitzgerald of the Dept. of Labor, International Stone Inc. will pay $47,600 in fines for 11 alleged violations of workplace safety standards at its Ansonia, CT. marble and granite fabrication operation.

After a complaint in December, OSHA investigated the Ansonia operation.

According to Fitzgerald, OSHA found employees cutting and polishing granite and marble with unguarded grinders and without eye, face and hand protection; unapproved electrical equipment and outlets used in wet locations; blocked access to circuit breakers; ungrounded, spliced and misused extension cords; worn out and illegible control buttons for a crane used to lift and move slabs of marble and granite; trip and fall hazards; obstructed exit access; and an unmarked exit door.

Nine of the violations were deemed "serious" by OSHA, meaning that there is "substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result."

“Left uncorrected, these conditions expose employees to the hazards of electrocution, lacerations, amputations, crushing by heavy objects, and eye and facial injuries,” said Robert Kowalski, OSHA’s area director in Bridgeport. “It’s imperative that this employer not only correct these hazards but also take effective steps to prevent their recurrence.”

Two of the violations, according to Fitzgerald, were "repeat" violations. An International Stone Inc. facility in Marshfield was found to have violations in 2008, reported OSHA.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.