Vinton Steel cited by OSHA

Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have issued nearly $270,000 in citations to Vinton Steel LLC, a recycled-content electric arc furnace (EAF) mill owned by Kyoei Steel of Japan.

Five of the citations issued following a January visit by OSHA inspectors are considered repeat violations for Vinton Steel, which also received an inspection in 2022 that resulted in nearly $365,000 worth of citations.

According to OSHA, the 2024 follow-up inspection found that workers at Vinton Steel were exposed to "serious workplace hazards.” After the 2022 inspection, OSHA added the company to a program for severe violators of federal safety and health regulations.

In the 2022 inspection, OSHA issued citations for 19 serious violations and assessed nearly $365,000 in proposed penalties. According to the agency, there have been 10 workplace safety incidents at the mill, five of which involved an employee's amputation injury.

The inspection early this year found dangers related to: failing to keep workers clear of loads lifted by slings and not keeping slings in good working order; not properly guarding machinery and exposing workers to moving parts; failing to have fire extinguishers maintained, fully charged and in good operating condition; not ensuring fit testing of workplace respirators to protect employees; and not completing medical evaluations to determine employees’ ability to use a respirator.

"Vinton Steel continues to show a callous disregard for the safety of its employees by exposing them to potentially deadly hazards," OSHA Area Director Diego Alvarado Jr. says. "The company must immediately stop endangering its workers and correct its safety failures before someone gets seriously injured or worse."

The mill in Vinton, Texas, which is located near El Paso, has about 400 employees, many of them represented by United Steelworkers Local 9424.

Vinton Steel operates two EAF lines that combined can melt some 250,000 tons of ferrous scrap per year. It converts the scrap into rebar, “smooth steel rounds” and steel grinding balls for the mining industry.

According to OSHA, Kyoei Steel has 15 business days from receipt of citation 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.