Ohio Paint Manufacturer Explosion Prompts $709,960 OSHA Fine

An explosion and fire that killed a worker and hospitalized eight others at an Ohio paint manufacturing facility in April has resulted in two willful and 33 serious federal safety violations.

The Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corp. in Columbus also faces a proposed $709,960 fine and was placed on OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program, the safety agency announced on Thursday.

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation of the April 8 explosion found that the incident could have been prevented if Yenkin had not allowed the use of improperly altered machinery. The blast shook neighboring buildings and businesses.

“Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corp. could ...