Cedar Fair LP has been hit with a $14,000 fine after an employee suffered a fractured leg while doing maintenance work on a ride at the company???s Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky.
It was one of four companies recently cited and given fines for workplace safety violations by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Toledo. Also cited and fined were Quality Ready Mix Inc. of St. Marys, Ohio; Johns Manville of Waterville; and Bunge North America LLC of Bellevue, Ohio.
The federal regulatory agency said Cedar Fair of Sandusky failed to train employees to shut off power before performing maintenance work on the Slingshot ride so the safety procedure was not followed. Regulators also said Cedar Fair did not properly train employees in safety measures when they are exposed to moving parts on the Slingshot.
An OSHA spokesman told The Blade that the lack of training led to the injuries suffered by an unnamed employee on Oct. 9. Details of the incident weren???t available. OSHA said it is investigating.
The Slingshot catapults a small capsule with two riders up to 360 feet into the air at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour.
Companies can contest OSHA???s citations and penalties. Cedar Fair didn???t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
OSHA fined Quality Ready Mix, from Auglaize County, $59,200 for a number of violations at its plant near North Baltimore, Ohio.
Inspectors said the company failed to implement safe procedures for employees entering a cement hopper for cleaning. The company was also cited for willful safety violations after a conveyor unexpectedly started while an employee was on it to grease the rollers on the ride. OSHA said the company should have instituted procedures to ensure the power supply was cut while maintenance was being done.
Johns Manville was fined $19,000 after investigators noted that a number of gears, sprockets, and rollers at its Waterville location were not properly guarded.
Agribusiness Bunge North America was fined $14,000 for violations in Bellevue. OSHA said employees there were exposed to amputation hazards because the company hadn???t developed proper shutdown procedures.
The companies can seek to have the citations and fines reduced.
~titanrocks01
credit Toledo Blade