“…death or serious physical harm could result”
A surprise inspection by the Occupational Health and Safety Agency, shortly after Allegheny County Council’s visit, confirmed that W&K Steel in Rankin has “serious” violations in safety controls, confirming the concerns workers and allies have been citing for years.
November 16th, in response to worker complaints, OSHA inspected the W&K facilities finding several “serious violations” and fining the company over $10,000.
The violations included hazardous electric equipment, control of hazardous energy, and machine guards. According to OSHA’s field operating manual a serious violation exists if there is a “substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition which exists.”
Read the manual.
As Labor Attorney Mike Healey told us and KQV, these types of surprise inspections and 
fines are unusual. Tim Hand, a worker at W&K who has been working to draw attention to these conditions for years stated “this is outside, official confirmation that what we have been saying for over a year is in fact true. W&K is a sweatshop forcing workers to risk their life at work. Our families just want to be reasonably comfortable that when they kiss us good bye in the morning, it wont be the last time.”
After years of denial by company, OSHA confirms Workers Fears
For years workers have been asking W&K to clean up their act. For years the W&K has denied having unsafe conditions. Now OSHA has confirmed the workers fears. The Stop W&K Sweatshop Campaign will keep working until dangerous conditions are remedied for good and refuges are no longer paid half of what Americans workers are paid for doing the same work.
Join us by sending a letter to workers voicing your support. Together we can make sure that manufacturing jobs in South Western PA are both safe and profitable.
Tell W&K workers you support them in trying to eliminate the sweatshop conditions they work in.
After seeing all the evidence, hearing from workers, looking at OSHA violations, and consistently being shut out by the company, County Council felt they had enough to declare W&K a sweatshop and therefore ineligible to receive county contracts.
One County Council member declared in a committee meeting last week that the fact that half the work force is paid so little they rely on food stamps and government assistance should be enough to recognize that this is not a good employer who should be getting public money.
