Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will contest the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) citations against the company's tire plant in Tupelo, with recommended fines of $203,900.
“Cooper disagrees with OSHA's recent characterization of the citation but believes it to be inappropriate at this time to make specific public comments,” the company said in a public statement.
Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper said it was confident the issues raised in the citation would be thoroughly addressed in the administrative process. The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an independent review body, handles all appeals of OSHA citations.
Two of the 14 safety violations, the agency said, were “willful” violations, and included failing to provide protection from fires and explosions in the plant's duct work, particle size separators, dust collectors and conveyor systems, and failing to install equipment and use wiring methods approved specifically for hazardous locations.