The Toledo Blade reported that Jeep's Toledo, Ohio assembly plant was cited and fined $70,000 due to an accident that occured last Feburary. Here's some of the details: Federal safety officials have issued a citation and proposed penalty of $70,000 against Toledo's Jeep Assembly Plant because of an accident in February that forced the evacuation of workers when a floor started to crack under the weight of a heavy forklift.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the mishap, which sent plaster pouring onto employees working on a floor below, happened after a supervisor at the DaimlerChrysler AG factory ignored weight restrictions in a third-floor area above the trim shop. No one was hurt in the incident.
OSHA has accused the company of a willful safety violation, defined as intentional disregard or indifference to the U.S. Occupational and Safety law.
"We are contesting the citation because we think we were incorrectly cited," said Trevor Hale, a spokesman for the car maker in Auburn Hills, Mich. He declined further comment.
The Feb. 16 incident was at the company's Jeep Parkway plant, portions of which date from 1910. Production of Jeep Cherokees produced there will be moved to a $600-million new factory on Stickney Avenue next year.
The company will meet with representatives of OSHA's Toledo office to try to have the fine reduced or change the citation, said Arnis Andersons, area director for the agency. If no agreement is reached, a hearing will be held before an OSHA administrative law judge.
The forklift and six iron rails on it weighed 11,650 pounds or nearly eight times the maximum allowed, according to the OSHA citation issued July 27.
Employees alerted an unidentified supervisor to the problem but were ordered to drive the forklift over anyway, inspectors said.
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