OSHA fines Fort Worth water heater manufacturer

Fort Worth-based PVI Industries, a maker of commercial and industrial water heaters since 1961, is facing $93,700 in fines from the Labor Department for numerous workplace safety violations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration began site inspections on August 2014 and found 17 serious violations. Among them, PVI failed to guard a drill press, bench grinder and other machinery; conduct annual inspections on overhead cranes and ensure workers didn’t eat or drink in areas where a known carcinogen was produced.

A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

“PVI Industries has shown a complete disregard for the safety of their workers, and that needs to change,” said Jack Rector, OSHA’s Fort Worth area director, in a statement. “The absence of air monitoring and proper equipment, the exposure to amputation hazards — all of this contributes to dangerous and unacceptable hazards.”

The company did not respond to a request for comment. PVI said it’s a leading supplier of engineer-specified plumbing and heating equipment for new construction building retrofits. The company said it has installed more than 130,000 water heaters worldwide. Sandra Baker

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 6:42 PM with the headline "OSHA fines Fort Worth water heater manufacturer."