Seattle battery manufacturer fined over $200K for exposing workers to lead
Washington state is penalizing a Seattle-based vehicle battery manufacturer for exposing workers to lead levels more than four times the safety limit.
The Department of Labor and Industries said last week it imposed a nearly $225,000 fine on Dyno Battery after the company failed to fix the violations.
Dyno Battery is a family-owned company that produces batteries for golf carts, trains, boats and heavy-duty vehicles. It’s been in operation since 1933.
Last July, state regulators inspected the company and found more than a dozen safety violations, many involving lead hazards.
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Inspectors photographed an inch of lead dust buildup in air cleaning devices that workers used to decontaminate and found additional lead buildup on lunchroom tables.
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High concentrations of lead exposure can lead to neurological damage, kidney disease, high blood pressure and reproductive problems.
By October, Labor and Industries ordered the company to stop all work in the battery assembly area because the safety issues had not been corrected. The agency claims the company ignored reminders and deadlines to remedy the problems.
“It’s rare, but if it’s necessary to protect worker health and safety from an immediate risk, we can and do close down operations at a business until the hazards are fixed,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director of the agency’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
The stop work order was in place until February, when the company corrected the problems.
On March 9, Labor and Industries fined Dyno Battery for 16 violations, nine of which were for failing to fix issues found during the initial inspection.
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The violations say Dyno Battery: failed to post warning signs in areas where lead exceeded safety limits; failed to monitor employee lead exposure levels; did not measure the effectiveness of its ventilation system; did not provide proper air filtration in the lunchroom; and did not provide adequate training to its employees.
The company appealed the citation, stating it was issued “without basis in law or fact,” according to the notice of appeal.
A spokesperson for Labor and Industries said the agency has 75 business days to decide on the appeal. Any money the state collects in penalties would be deposited into the statewide workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund.
This story was originally published by the Washington State Standard.
