The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited MooreCo Inc., a Temple, Texas-based furniture manufacturer, for three repeated and six serious violations and placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. The agency also cited Manpower Group US Inc., the temporary staffing agency providing MooreCo with workers, for one repeated violation for failing to provide machine guarding.

Proposed fines for MooreCo's health and safety violations total $122,500 and $38,500 for Manpower.

According to OSHA, temporary workers assigned to MooreCo Inc. were seriously injured twice in 14 months when inadequately guarded machines pulled them in, removing skin from the wrist up to the shoulder in the most recent incident, and from the wrist down in an earlier incident. As a result of the earlier incident, the employee's fingertips were also amputated.

Including temporary workers, MooreCo employs approximately 460 people at its Temple furniture manufacturing plant.

OSHA cited MooreCo on Nov. 12 for repeated violations for exposing workers to moving machine parts and failing to shut down machinery properly. The serious violations involved failing to conduct periodic inspections of energy control procedures to ensure machines would not start up during servicing; using personal protective equipment for corrosive chemical splashes; and repairing recognized electrical hazards.

The agency also cited Manpower Group US Inc., the temporary staffing agency providing MooreCo with workers, for one repeated violation for failing to provide machine guarding.

“These violations exposed workers to dangerous moving machine parts that threaten life and limb,” said Casey Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin, Texas. “Placing MooreCo in the SVEP means the agency will not tolerate excuses and will hold the company accountable for exposing workers to avoidable hazards.”

Each company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to respond.