In May 2024, a 16-year-old worker suffered a thumb tip amputation while operating a metal forming machine at Fostermation Inc., a company that makes precision wire component products in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
According to the Labor Department, the fingertip amputation triggered multiple agency investigations, which found that the manufacturer violated federal law and exposed employees to six serious workplace safety violations.
OSHA conducted a complaint investigation and another under its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries. The safety agency found amputation and machine-guarding hazards and deficiencies in its lockout/tagout procedures.
The company has paid the Labor Department $50,192 in civil penalties for violating child labor laws and $14,700 in an OSHA settlement to resolve the six serious and one other-than-serious violations uncovered by inspectors.