FRANKLIN, Ohio — The U.S. Department of Labor found that Faurecia Emissions Control Systems could have prevented an employee from being fatally crushed last October if it had provided proper machine guarding, according to a press release.

The release notes that Faurecia Emissions Control Systems is one of 29 facilities operated by Faurecia North America and that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigators were made aware of the incident by the manufacturer.

“OSHA learned the worker, on the job for about a year, was placing cardboard under a machine that bends vehicle exhaust pipes when the incident happened,” the release reads.

After determining that employees were not properly trained “in lockout/tagout procedures” by the company, OHSA issued them 10 citations.

“Based on these alleged violations, Faurecia exposed machine operators to struck-by and caught-between hazards,” the release reads.

The release notes the company had been cited for similar violations back in 2022 and is now facing $314,555 in penalties for the violations.

“Faurecia Emissions Control Systems could have prevented this tragedy by having proper machine guarding that would have protected employees from contact with moving machine parts,” said Ken Montgomery, OSHA Area Director in Cincinnati, in the release. “Safety requirements are just that, required. This company failed in its legal responsibility to ensure workers were protected from workplace hazards.”

The release continues, stating that OSHA has opened almost 1,700 machine-hazard inspections just in Ohio since 2019.

“Safety must never be an afterthought,” Montgomery said in the release. “Safety has to be a core company value, especially in the manufacturing industry.”

The company is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

“In 2022, Faurecia and Hella combined to form Forvia, one of the world’s top 10 largest automotive suppliers with more than 150,000 workers in more than 40 countries,” the release reads.