OSHA Inspection: WST FAB LLC

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Oct 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $8,276 · Current $4,138 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.23(d)(7): Fixed ladders. The employer must ensure grab bars extend 42 inches (1.1 m) above the access level or landing platforms served by the ladder.   On or about April 21, 2025, at an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the machining area; an employee was exposed to a fall hazard of approximately 4 feet 6 inches while ascending and descending a ladder that was fixed to the side of the Master 880 Verso bar feeder platform when the ladder did not have grab bars extending past the surface of the landing platform.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Oct 10, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i): Unprotected sides and edges. Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following: (A) Guardrail systems; (B) Safety net systems; or (C) Personal fall protections systems, such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint, or positioning systems.  On or about April 21, 2025, at an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the machining area; an employee was exposed to a fall hazard of approximately 4 feet 6 inches while conducting setup activities on the Master 880 Verso bar feeder and Hwacheor Hi-TECH 450BL YSMC when they were not protected by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall protections systems, such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint, or positioning systems.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Dec 15, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $5,792 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A): Each authorized employee shall receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control.  At an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin; machine operators engaged in tasks such as, but not limited to, changing dies on press brakes, changing tips on the robot welders, cleaning and setting up horizontal and vertical machining centers, and cleaning the inside of the laser cutters, were not adequately trained in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control as authorized employees.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Nov 3, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d): The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6): (d)(1) Preparation for shutdown;  (d)(2) Machine or equipment shutdown;  (d)(3) Machine or equipment isolation;  (d)(4) Lockout or tagout device application;  (d)(5) Stored energy release; and,  (d)(6) Verification of isolation.  At an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin; the employer did not ensure that machine operators implemented energy control application steps or equivalent protective measures prior to allowing them to conduct servicing and maintenance tasks on machines. The employer did not ensure that employees shut down the equipment and followed a de-energization sequence prior to allowing them to perform servicing and maintenance tasks such as, but not limited to:  a) On or about April 8, 2025, in the press area, employees were exposed to crushed-by and amputation hazards associated with the descending upper die/beam on the Bystronic Xpert Pro 250-Ton hydraulic press brake while performing die setups and cleaning the inside of the machine.  b) On or about April 21, 2025, in the machining area, employees were exposed to struck-by and amputation hazards associated with the 17-inch rotating circular saw blade while cleaning inside of the TSUNE cold saw, changing the blade, and performing weekly preventative maintenance.  c) On or about July 14, 2025, to July 21, 2025, in the machining area, employees were exposed to entanglement and amputation hazards created by the rotating screw augers and tooling while changing the tooling during setup, cleaning out the chip buckets, and cleaning the inside of the Smart SM1000 (MT 133) vertical machining center.   d) On or about April 17, 2025, in the welding area, employees were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards associated with the moving arms of the welder robots while cleaning inside of the robot's work envelope to clean around the fixtures, and changing/servicing the welder tips, cones, and diffusers of "The Medusa" welding cell.  e) On or about April 14, 2025, in the laser area, employees were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards created by the movement of the laser cutter head, its positioning system, and the shuttle table, and radiation hazards from the laser cutter while bodily entering the Bystronic ByStar 20k laser cutter enclosure to clean the walls, extraction chambers, and laser encasement.  f) On or about July 9, 2025, in the press area, employees were exposed to crushed-by and amputation hazards associated with the descending upper die on the Bystronic Xpert 80-Ton hydraulic press brake while performing die setups and cleaning the inside of the machine.  g) On or about September 8, 2025, in the machining area, employees were exposed to entanglement and amputation hazards associated with the rotating spindle and chip conveyor, and struck-by and caught-between hazards associated with the moving table while cleaning the spindle and inside of the DMG Mori horizontal machining centers.  h) On or about September 8, 2025, in the machining area, employees were exposed to entanglement hazards associated with the rotating chuck, tailstock, and tool turret while performing setup and cleaning inside of the Mazak Nexus metal lathe.  i) On or about September 5, 2025, in the machining area, employees were exposed to entanglement and struck-by hazards associated with the rotating spindle and movement of the Doosan DNM 500 vertical machining center during setup and cleaning operations.  j)  On or about September 8, 2025, in the welding area, employees were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards associated with the moving arms of the welder robots while cleaning inside of the robot's work envelope to clean around the fixtures, and changing/servicing the welder tips, cones, and diffusers of "2 Pac" welding cell.  As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [1910.147(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [1910.147(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [1910(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [1910.147(d)(6)] were not implemented to protect employees from machine hazards.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Nov 3, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(f)(3)(ii)(D): Group lockout or tagout. Each authorized employee shall affix a personal lockout or tagout device to the group lockout device, group lockbox, or comparable mechanism when he or she begins work, and shall remove those devices when he or she stops working on the machine or equipment being serviced or maintained.  On or about September 9, 2025, at an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the machining area; the employer did not ensure that each employee performing service and maintenance activities within the SMART SV2 vertical machining center was protected from potential entanglement and amputation hazards by affixing a personal lockout and/or tagout device(s) prior to cleaning the coolant tank.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Nov 25, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.146(c)(1): The employer shall evaluate the workplace to determine if any spaces are permit-required confined spaces. NOTE: Proper application of the decision flow chart in Appendix A to section 1910.146 would facilitate compliance with this requirement.  On or about April 14, 2025, at an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin; the employer did not evaluate the workplace to determine if any spaces are permit-required confined space, exposing employees to the hazards associated with permit-required confined spaces, such as but not limited to, hazardous atmosphere (nitrogen gas and combustible metal dust), mechanical, pneumatic, and radiation, while bodily entering the laser cutters to clean inside.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Nov 3, 2025

Penalty

Initial $11,585 · Current $5,792 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(ii): The procedures shall clearly and specifically outline the scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques to be utilized for the control of hazardous energy, and the means to enforce compliance including, but not limited to, the following:  (A) A specific statement of the intended use of the procedure;  (B) Specific procedural steps for shutting down, isolating, blocking and securing machines or equipment to control hazardous energy;  (C) Specific procedural steps for the placement, removal and transfer of lockout devices or tagout devices and the responsibility for them; and  (D) Specific requirements for testing a machine or equipment to determine and verify the effectiveness of lockout devices, tagout devices, and other energy control measures.   At an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:  a) On or about April 8, 2025, the employer did not ensure compliant hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) procedures for press brakes such as, but not limited to, the Bystronic Xpert Pro 250-Ton and Bystronic Xpert 80-ton hydraulic press brakes, were developed and utilized by employees tasked with performing servicing and maintenance tasks. Employees were exposed to crushed-by and amputation hazards created by the energized machines likely to result in serious injury while performing servicing and maintenance tasks such as, but not limited to, changing dies, and cleaning the inside of the machine. The procedures did not specify their intended use for these activities and did not contain shut down, isolation, and verification steps for all energy sources present such as, but not limited to, hydraulic, and gravitational (potential).   b) On or about April 14, 2025, the employer did not ensure compliant hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) procedures for the laser cutters such as, but not limited to, the Bystronic ByStar Fiber 20K laser cutters, were developed and utilized by employees tasked with performing servicing and maintenance tasks. Employees were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards created by the energized machines likely to result in serious injury while performing servicing and maintenance tasks such as, but not limited to, cleaning the inside of the machine. The procedures did not specify their intended use for these activities and did not contain shut down and verification steps for all energy sources present such as, but not limited to, compressed nitrogen gas, compressed oxygen gas, pneumatic, and radiation.  c) On or about April 17, 2025, the employer did not ensure compliant hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) procedures for the robotic welders such as, but not limited to, the Yaskawa welding robots (Model: YRC1000/AR2010), were developed and utilized by employees tasked with performing servicing and maintenance tasks. Employees were exposed to struck-by and caught-between hazards created by the energized robots likely to result in serious injury while performing servicing and maintenance tasks such as, but not limited to, changing tips, cones, and diffusers, and cleaning the inside of the robot's working envelope. The procedures did not specify  shut down, and verification steps for all energy sources present such as, but not limited to, compressed gas,  pneumatic, and radiation.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Dec 15, 2025

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(6)(i): The employer shall conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirements of this standard are being followed.  At an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin; the employer did not conduct periodic inspections of their energy control procedures to ensure that the procedures were compliant and that lockout was used by employees performing servicing and maintenance tasks on equipment including but not limited to, hydraulic press brakes, laser cutters, robotic welders, vertical and horizontal milling machines, lathes, and cold saws.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Penalty

Initial $6,620 · Current $3,310 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.178(m)(5)(iii): When the operator of an industrial truck is dismounted and within 25 ft. of the truck still in his view, the load engaging means shall be fully lowered, controls neutralized, and the brakes set to prevent movement.  On or about April 17, 2025, at an establishment located at 5406 County Road R in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, near the backside of the laser area; employees were exposed to struck and crushed-by hazards when a forklift operator dismounted the Hubtex FluX 30 electric multidirectional counterbalance forklift and did not fully lower the load engaging means to place spacer boards between stacks of sheet metal.

Issued

Sep 12, 2025

Abate by

Jul 30, 2026

Penalty

Initial $8,276 · Current $4,138 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1): Machine Guarding. Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are - barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.  On or about April 9, 2025, at an establishment located at 5406 County Road R, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin; employees bending metal brackets on the Xpert Pro 250-ton brake press (Serial No.: 22551025) were exposed to pinch point and amputation hazards to the fingers, created by the part being bent and the face of the upper die. The machine was not guarded to prevent exposure to these hazards.