Twenty-one safety concerns raised after an inspection by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health have been corrected, Derby Public Works Director Ron Culmo said Wednesday.
However, the city does not face fines or penalties in connection to the visit. That’s because Culmo invited state OSHA inspectors to the public works complex on Coon Hollow Road last spring in an effort to keep workers safe.
“About seven years ago when I first took over here, OSHA did a surprise visit and we had many violations at public works, the sewage treatment plant, City Hall and the senior center,” Culmo said. “We had a lot of violations and we had to a lot of work to fix them all. To be safe, this time I wanted them to come down and check us out. It’s good for the safety of the employees, it shows us where we have issues and it is better for Derby in the long run.”
CONN-OSHA sent Derby a document July 23 detailing the hazards found at the public works complex. Culmo has followed up with each item, sending documentation and photographs to CONN-OSHA proving they have been addressed.
The hazards were all considered “serious” under OSHA terminology, meaning they could have caused an accident or “health hazard exposure” resulting in death or serious physical harm.
While that sounds ominous, Kenneth Tucker, CONN-OSHA’s director, said the matters were fairly easy to correct.
The issues included:
- The DPW’s parts room wasn’t kept clean and orderly, which could have caused workers to slip and fall.
- Portable fire extinguishers in the highway garage were not visually inspected monthly
- A defective wire rope sling was not immediately removed from service
- There was a gap wider than one-eighth inch in a wheel grinder, large enough for a worker to slip through
- A power tool had a damaged electrical cord but was still in use
- Some breakers in an electrical panel were not labeled
“For us, these were standard things,” Tucker said. “Most of the things were fairly simple to fix. The best part for CONN-OSHA is that Derby was willing to work with us, so by finding and fixing these items we reduce the risk of someone getting hurt.”
