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Auburn Company Facing $100K in OSHA Fines

AUBURN, Maine - An Auburn company that makes polyester fabrics for the auto industry, is facing more than $100,000 in fines from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA spokesman Ted Fitzgerald says Formed Fiber's violations fall into two categories: First, equipment used in the production process wasn't properly shut down and locked to stop it from starting during cleaning.

The other hazard, he says, involved robots that are used in the production process to trim carpeting. "Basically the issue with the robots was that their arms could extend beyond a safe perimeter and could possibly strike an operator or a nearby worker," Fitzgerald says.

Fitzgerald says OSHA doesn't know of any injuries at the plant related to these hazards, but says that the dangers to which workers were exposed are "key safety concerns in manufacturing."

The company was already on the agency's radar after violations at its Sydney, Ohio, plant, Fitzgerald says. After violations at that plant, the company was placed in OSHA's Severe Violators Enforcement Program in 2013. According to OSHA, that program "focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate violations."

Once an employer is placed in that program, Fitzgerald says, "then OSHA can come in and conduct follow-up inspections at that facility or at other facilities of the same company."

Formed Fiber did not immediately return MPBN's calls for comment, but company president Chris Richard said, in a statement, that the company is reviewing the OSHA citations, and "places the highest priority on workplace safety."

Formed Fiber Technologies has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply with or contest the findings. As of this afternoon, the company has not contacted OSHA regarding the citations.

Nora is originally from the Boston area but has lived in Chicago, Michigan, New York City and at the northern tip of New York state. Nora began working in public radio at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and has been an on-air host, a reporter, a digital editor, a producer, and, when they let her, played records.