Ford Motor Company has been fined by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration for eight violations regarding asbestos at the company’s metal stamping plant in Buffalo, New York.
According to a report in Automotive News, the car maker faces up to $41,800 in fines and the potential that a number of the 537 workers employed at the Buffalo facility may have suffered asbestos exposure.
OSHA announced that the violations involved a pipefitter who was exposed to asbestos-containing materials while working on a steam line at the plant. In addition, other workers who were exposed to the material were not given respiratory protection to avoid the inhalation of dangerous fibers. Also, OSHA cited work areas that were not designed to limit the number of workers in contact with asbestos and others that were not properly restricted. Furthermore, levels of asbestos in the air were not monitored anywhere throughout the plant where asbestos was deemed to be of concern.
An unnamed spokesperson for Ford claims the OSHA charges against the plant are false and the fines unjustified.
“We have fully cooperated with the local OSHA officials and we don’t believe the citations are warranted,” he said in the Automotive News article, noting that Ford will work with the authorities to resolve the issue of the fines and the supposed infractions.
Automotive workers are among those that appear at the top of the list of occupations that are at highest risk for developing asbestos-related diseases. Many were exposed to asbestos materials once used in brakes and clutches, but others suffered exposure while working in auto-making plants and related operations, such as the metal stamping plant.