Staffing company’s OSHA fine reduced

An administrative law judge of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission on Friday affirmed a citation for an employment agency after an employee suffered a serious injury on a job site, but the commission reduced the fine by more than half.

TMD Staffing, based in Dallas, contested a two-item citation and Notification of Penalty issued in March 2017 issued by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which in November 2016 inspected a facility operated by Hightower Metal Works Inc., for which TMD provided staff, in response to a report of a serious employee injury, according to records.

After inspecting the facility, a compliance safety and health officer recommended issuing citations to both Houston-based Hightower Metal Works and TMD for failing to provide guards for four machines used by TMD-supplied employees in Hightower Metal Work’s facility, exposing the employees to struck-by and caught-by hazards, according to records.

OSHA proposed a penalty of $12,675 for each item, for a total proposed penalty of $25,350. A decision published Friday affirmed the citation yet reduced the fine to $10,000, stating “it is entitled to penalty reductions for history and good faith,” according to documents.

Officials with Hightower Metal Works and TMD could not immediately be reached for comment.