OSHA fines Wyandanch stone maker in wake of accident

A Wyandanch manufacturer of architectural cast stone has been fined $10,000 for serious safety violations relating to an April accident in which one of its workers severely damaged his hand, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.

Corinthian Cast Stone Inc. was fined $11,250 overall for seven violations stemming from an April investigation, the government agency said in a report issued Aug. 3. Four of the violations were described as "serious," the report said.

The probe came after Jose Hernandez, 17, of Wyandanch, caught one of his hands in an industrial mixer on April 22, suffering lacerations, broken bones and nerve and tendon damage, according to Suffolk County police.

Corinthian Cast Stone's serious violations, the OSHA report said, were failing to provide proper shutdown to the mixer's power source; not having adequate tools for locking the machine or for guarding the mixer's auger from body contact; and not offering workers proper training on machine maintenance.

For each violation, the company was fined $2,500.

Three other violations not directly related to the accident - including one with a fine of $1,250 for training requirements involving forklift operation - also were issued, the report said.

A spokesman for the company said Friday it would have no comment on the OSHA findings.

Corinthian Cast Stone makes architectural cast stones for the outside of buildings, according to its website. Some recent projects have included the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station, a dormitory at Farmingdale State College and the Port Authority Waterfront Corporate Center in Hoboken, N.J.

OSHA spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said the company has been granted a September meeting to address the violations but would not elaborate because "the investigation is still considered ongoing."