Northcoast Now reported that safety at the Republic Engineered Products steel plant is being questioned.

The company is facing a proposed USD 563,000 fine from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration over repeated violations at its Lorain plant.

In addition to the fine, Republic has been placed in OSHA's Severe Violators Enforcement Program, subjecting it to increased scrutiny.

Dr David Michaels, an OSHA assistant secretary of labor, said in a news release that Republic has a long record of safety violations that have included injuries and fatalities.

He added that "There is no excuse for Republic Engineered Products to continue to neglect its workers' safety. It needs to make a serious effort to comply with common sense regulations to protect its employees."

According to the news release, the fine is related to a November accident at the Lorain plant, at 1827 E 28th St, in which a worker fell nine feet and fractured his pelvis.

In 2010, the Lorain plant has been cited for 13 violations and fined USD 143,000. Since 1990, the plant was cited for 76 violations during 25 inspections. Excluding Lorain, the Canton based company, which has locations in Massillion, Gary, Ind, Blaisdell, NY, and Hamilton, Ontario, has been inspected 53 times resulting in 124 violations.

On February 16th 2011, Mr Arthur Smith of Lorain was crushed by a hydraulic door on a utility truck at Republic's Canton plant and died at the hospital. Mr Smith was a contract worker for Superior Environmental Solutions, an industrial cleaning service.

(Sourced from www.northcoastnow.com)