Some injuries can be painful but not so severe that a worker shouldn’t expect a full recovery. Other injuries, like hearing loss, are the types of injuries that can follow a worker for the rest of their life and from which they may never fully recover. According to a release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one Massachusetts manufacturer put their employee’s hearing in danger and now faces violations and penalties for failing to address worksite hazards, both old and new.

After a follow-up inspection this year, Mass-Granite Inc. in Action, MA has been cited by OSHA for failing to correct the six hazards that were found at an earlier inspection in 2014, and for several new hazards the administration found. The release alleges that the company had previously exposed workers to dangerous noise levels without monitoring employee exposure to the noise, and did not test employees for hearing loss or have a hearing conservation program in place. They also did not have markings on a forklift boom or have a chemical hazard communication plan in place for their workers.

In the most recent inspection it was found that the company had not addressed several of the issues they had been previously cited for. OSHA contends that they still did not monitor their employees who were exposed to high noise levels, they failed to train exposed workers on the dangers of high noise, and they had electrical equipment being stored in wet areas. The inspectors found a locked exit door and flammable materials stored in an exit route, which could be very hazardous should an emergency occur.

In the more recent inspection the company was also cited for electrical hazards, letting untrained workers use forklifts, not providing proper eye, hand and head protection, and dangerous storage of large pieces of granite among other citations. Altogether they received three repeat violations, and a combined 22 serious and other than serious violations. They face $87,200 in fines.