Crane issued 36 safety violations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 36 violations of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions to Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane’s Army Ammunition Activity, OSHA announced  Monday.

The violations stem from a March 28 explosion in the pyrotechnic building of Crane’s Army Ammunition Activity facility. Five workers were hospitalized as a result, according to a press release from OSHA, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The explosion happened in dust collectors in the pyrotechnic building, where workers were in the process of cleaning the production area.

“The Crane Army Ammunition Activity failed to ensure the facility was in compliance with established safety and health procedures,” Vanessa Martin, director of OSHA’s Indianapolis Area Office said in the release, said. “All employers are responsible for recognizing hazards in their facilities and addressing them by following OSHA standards. Thankfully, the hospitalized workers survived this unacceptable lapse in workplace safety.”

NSWC Crane, a shore command center of the U.S. Navy, is about 35 miles southwest of Bloomington.

Federal agencies must comply with the same safety standards as private sector employers.

A total of 34 safety violations were classified by the OSHA. Violations included failure to develop energy control procedures, failure to conduct inspections of procedures and failure to guard belts and pulleys.

Two other-than-serious violations were failure to evaluate respiratory hazards and not reviewing incident reports with affected workers, according to the press release.

“The facility has 15 business days from receipt of the notices to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or appeal the notices by submitting a summary of the agency’s position on the unresolved issues to OSHA’s regional administrator,” according to the press release.

— Matt Stefanski