MONROE, Ohio — The U.S. Department of Labor, following a report of a partial finger amputation at an Ohio automotive carpet manufacturer, conducted an investigation that found safety concerns and has resulted in more than $200,000 in proposed fines for the company.


What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Department of Labor, following a report of a partial finger amputation at an Ohio automotive carpet manufacturer, conducted an investigation that found safety concerns and has resulted in more than $200,000 in proposed fines for the company
  • A press release from the Department of Labor states that UGN Inc. workers had been exposed to machine parts while cleaning fiber material off equipment

  • The company has been cited by OSHA for violations for a lack of safety procedures

A press release from the Department of Labor states that UGN Inc. workers had been exposed to machine parts while cleaning fiber material off equipment.

“An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the June 23, 2023, injury found that UGN Inc. did not provide or require the use of machine specific lockout procedures for machinery located in manufacturing cells that contained rotating drums, hot air boxes, burn boxes, chains and sprockets,” the release states. 

The company has been cited by OSHA for violations for a lack of safety procedures and machine guarding and a failure to train employees in lockout procedures and for not outfitting workers with heat-resistant equipment when dealing with high temperatures, according to the release.

“In the past three years, employees of UGN have suffered several recordable injuries from machinery, including burns, broken bones, and now an amputation because the company continues to task workers with contacting machinery while it is in operation,” said Ken Montgomery, OSHA Area Director in Cincinnati, in the release. “UGN’s continued failure to implement machine safety procedures led to OSHA placing them in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program, allowing us to expand our enforcement efforts to ensure this company is meeting its legal responsibility to protect workers on the job.”

The company, which is based in Illinois but operates facilities in multiple states, is now facing $234,376 in penalties proposed by OSHA, which also placed it in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program, according to the release.

The release also states that this is not the first such citation for the company, citing four other investigations between 2019 and 2023. 

“The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission,” the release concludes.

UGN Inc. could not be reached for comment.