The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says Republic Steel has agreed to pay 2.4 million in fines to settle more than 100 health and safety violations at plants in Canton, Lorain and Massilon, as well as one in New York state. M.L. Schultze of member station WKSU in Kent reports.
The United Steelworkers are praising the settlement, saying it goes way beyond the safety standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has been investigating the steelmaker for more than a year.
Key to the deal are joint health and safety committees that will include management and the union. Jim Frederick heads safety efforts for the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh.
“Also included in that program are going to be a number of other elements such as a third-party auditor to perform a hazard assessment and make certain that any hazards that exist in a facility and may have been missed by the local union health and safety committees are identified so that the employer can address them.”
Frederick says OSHA will continue to keep an eye on conditions for at least the next two years. He also says many of the violations that led to the initial investigation have been or are in the process of being resolved.