Houston Powder Coating Company Fined by OSHA for Exposing Workers to Health Hazards – Houston Public Media

A Houston company that makes powder coatings for outdoor furniture, metals and other materials has been fined more than $338,000 for exposing its workers to health and safety hazards that could cause birth defects, cancer and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Outdoor Furniture Refinishing Inc., which does business as Allied Powder Coating at 6030 England St. in south Houston, has been under federal workplace investigation since December. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identified more than 40 violations, including failures to protect workers from inhalation and hearing hazards such as overexposure to dust as well as toxic chemicals such as arsenic, beryllium and lead.

The OSHA investigation, which is ongoing, was initiated following a complaint filed against the company by one of its approximately 70 employees, according to Labor Department spokesman Juan Rodriguez.

“(Allied Powder Coating) has a legal responsibility to provide its employees with a safe work environment and to better understand the hazards that exist in their jobs,” Larissa Ipsen, OSHA’s regional director based in Houston, said in a news release. “Employers are required to be aware of all hazards in their workplace and to develop procedures, provide safety equipment and train employees to ensure workers are protected from immediate and long-term hazards.”

Allied Powder Coating did not immediately respond to a message sent Wednesday seeking comment. As of Monday, the company had 15 days to contest OSHA’s findings or correct the violations and pay the proposed fines.

The family-owned business has been around since the 1980s and offers metal finishing services throughout Texas for residential, commercial and industrial applications, according to the Department of Labor. Allied Powder Coating says on its website that it operates out of a 76,000-square-foot building that is “one of the largest powder coating facilities in Texas, consisting of two large batch ovens, a conveyor system and plating operations.” The company also does sandblasting.

Regarding its powder coating operations, the company states on its website that “finely ground particles of pigment and resin are electrostatically charged and sprayed onto the products to be coated.”

OSHA issued 39 “serious” violations against Allied Powder Coating. Those violations included failure to provide respirators, failure to have a protective spray booth, and failure to have regulated areas for arsenic and beryllium, as well as failure to provide training, medical surveillance, and air monitoring. The company also failed to have showers and locker rooms specifically for employees overexposed to arsenic, beryllium, and lead, according to the Labor Department.

“OSHA has not identified any workers who have had health issues to date, but we have only evaluated current workers,” Rodriguez said. “Most of the workers doing the work had been with the company for 1 to 2 years.”

Allied Powder Coating was also cited for five “other than serious” violations for failing to have fire extinguishers readily available and failing to evaluate and certify forklift operators, the Labor Department said.