Continental disputes OSHA fines

MOUNT VERNON, Ill. — Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. is disputng each of the 16 "serious" and two "repeat" violations cited in two, May 12 "citation and notification of penalty" letters from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to the company.

The fines for those incidents total nearly $342,000.

"We did challenge the fines, but as this is an active legal process, we will not comment further on this," a Conti spokesperson told sister publication Rubber News June 3.

It was not immediately clear as to what the next step is.

In a May 17 statement, Continental said that while it shares OSHA's view that employee safety is its highest priority, the company "disagrees with the results of the investigation."

"The safety and security of our employees is always our top priority," Continental continued. "We have taken actions as a result of our internal investigation to prevent such accidents in the future. Additionally, we have cooperated with OSHA throughout its investigation."

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The fines stem from a pair of incidents that occurred on two straight days in November 2021 when three workers at a Continental  plant were seriously injured in two separate incidents, resulting in the amputation of three fingers for one worker, severe burns for another and a concussion for a third employee.

In the first incident on Nov. 13, a worker allegedly was attempting to unjam rubber that had been caught in an Ohio Knife (rubber shearing) machine, and in the process lost three fingers.

In a second incident the following day, a rubber compound mixer allegedly exploded, causing severe burns to one worker that required hospitalization and a concussion for another, according to OSHA.