The Juniper Elbow Co. in Middle Village must pay more than $85,000 to the federal Department of Labor after inspectors recently found more than a dozen safety violations on site, it was announced.
The metal products manufacturer founded in 1928 and located at 72-15 Metropolitan Ave. was cited for 15 total violations following an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection on Sept. 9.
According to OSHA, inspectors found four hazardous conditions similar to ones previously observed during a 2012 visit, including blocked exit routes, missing or unmounted fire extinguishers, improperly guarded lathes and failure to monitor noise levels.
Other hazards discovered during this year’s inspection included a lack of proper egress to the street, an inadequate number of welding screens, an improperly painted sprinkler head; unguarded operating machine parts and no safety training for employees who are exposed to high noise levels.
“These conditions exposed employees to possible hearing loss, broken bones, lacerations, amputation, fire, eye injuries and being unable to exit the workplace swiftly and safely in the event of emergency,” said Kay Gee, OSHA Area Director for Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn. “The repeated nature of several of these violations is disturbing and unacceptable.”
On its website, Juniper Elbow — also known as Juniper Industries — describes itself as being “America’s largest independent manufacturer of Navy standard watertight closures and closure components.” Its products include watertight, weatherproof and ballistic doors; hatches; scuttles; and manholes.
When contacted by the Ridgewood Times, a Juniper Elbow representative declined to comment on the matter.
