OSHA Cites Factory for Health and Safety Violations

IMMIGRANTS & EMPLOYMENT

Immigrants' Employment Rights and Remedies

OSHA CITES FACTORY FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY VIOLATIONS
Immigrants' Rights Update, Vol. 15, No. 4, June 29, 2001

In response to a complaint filed by a Latino worker, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Dept. of Labor has found that Superflex, Ltd., a manufacturer of plastic hoses in Brooklyn, NY, engaged in multiple violations of its workers' health and safety rights. The report, issued by OSHA almost three months after the worker filed the complaint on Feb. 9, 2001, states that the violations included a failure by Superflex to properly warn its employees of the severe hazards posed by the toxic chemicals the workers were exposed to, lack of training in the safe handling of such chemicals, and failure to provide the workers with the proper protective gear to carry out their work. OSHA fined the employer several thousand dollars and ordered it to remedy the dangerous conditions by June 13, 2001.

The complainant, Antonio López, alleged that throughout the two years he worked at Superflex his supervisor patrolled the factory carrying a pistol and forced López to work 12-hour shifts without a break. Because he had to eat his meals while working at the machines he operated without proper gear to protect him from the chemicals the machines used, López believes he ingested substances that severely and permanently damaged his kidneys. After López began twice-a-week kidney dialysis treatments, Superflex fired him. With the assistance of Make The Road By Walking, a community organization, he has also filed a claim pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.