On April 28, the Illinois Jobs to Move America coalition – including dozens of Illinois community, faith, environmental and labor groups – will observe Workers Memorial Day and thank the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for protecting workers on the job. OSHA recently cited railcar manufacturer Nippon Sharyo for one serious health violation, six serious safety violations, and four other safety violations, and levied $34,500 fines on the company, for hazards inside its factory in Rochelle, Illinois. One OSHA violation was levied because Nippon Sharyo “failed to put into place welding shields/screens to protect workers...from health hazards such as arc eye and welder’s flash.” Another citation reads: “Employees were exposed to fall hazards up to 17 feet while walking on plywood boards that were not scaffold grade or intended for the use.”
The observance of Workers Memorial Day will also include a commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act and a remembrance of workers across Illinois and the United States who have been injured and killed on the job. Members of the coalition will demand that employers like Nippon Sharyo make workplaces safe and support workers who speak out.
Nippon Sharyo manufactures passenger railcars for public transit agencies, including Metra, and has received $1.3 billion worth of U.S. public transit contracts in the past six years and $4.7 million in grants, tax credits and training money from the State of Illinois. Nippon Sharyo employs about 600 workers in its railcar assembly plant in Rochelle.
