Hartwell auto parts maker fined for multiple safety violations

Tenneco Automotive, based in Hartwell, Ga., was cited Monday as a “repeat” violator by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and fined $342,250.

A worker’s complaint brought OSHA investigators to the North Georgia plant last May. The Illinois-based corporation was cited for a total of 27 safety and health violations, including potential hazards from slipping on oil-slicked floors to failure to protect workers from dangerous equipment.

Tenneco had been cited for the same or similar violations three times since 2010. In all, the company has been inspected 11 times since 2009.

“Fixing a hazard once, but allowing it to creep back into the workplace, shows that management has priorities other than running an effective safety and health program,” said Bill Fulcher, an OSHA official in Atlanta.