NEW BEDFORD – Leather-goods manufacturer Michael Bianco Inc. faces $45,000 in proposed fines, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Braintree office.
An OSHA inspection of the Bianco plant at 89 West Rodney French Blvd. – launched March 15, in the wake of a raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials (READ MORE) – allegedly found 15 serious violations of workplace health and safety standards.
Among other violations, the company allegedly had failed to determine what protective equipment was needed for employees whose duties exposed them to hazardous chemicals and flying particles; failed to supply its workers with the required eye, face and hand protection; failed to provide hazardous-material information and training; and failed safeguard against the accidental startup of machinery during maintenance. In addition, OSHA said, the inspection found unguarded machinery and improperly used or guarded electrical wiring and equipment.
“Left uncorrected, the conditions cited at the plant expose employees to the hazards of lacerations, amputation, burns, electrocution [and] eye and face injuries, and to being caught in moving parts or struck by machinery,” Robert B. Hooper, the agency’s acting director for southeastern Massachusetts, said in a statement.
The company has 15 business days to respond.
Michael Bianco Inc., established in 1985, is a maker of handbags, business cases and other fine leather goods. To learn more, visit www.michael-bianco.com.
Additional information, including advice on workplace safety, is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration atwww.osha.gov.
