BY CRAIG FREILICH
North Country This Week

POTSDAM -- Potsdam Specialty Paper, Inc. (PSPI) faces $15,912 in penalties for conditions that led to the injury of a worker at the Sissonville Road paper plant on June 7.

Oswegatchie resident Timothy Wendt’s right arm was mangled in machinery at the plant that morning, according to state police.

He was taken first to Canton-Potsdam Hospital and then airlifted to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. State police, who investigated, said at the time the injuries were not life-threatening.

The penalties for the company are the result of two citations issued by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and characterized as “serious” following inspections at the paper plant on June 10, according to documentation from a U.S. Department of Labor representative.

“OSHA issued citations for OSHA inspection 1407238 on October 23, 2019. The inspection was opened on June 10, 2019 from an incident that occurred on June 7, 2019. The citations were delivered on October 25, 2019. The citations were for a total of $15,912,” the notice says.

The first citation says that “One or more methods of machine guarding was not provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks,” and specified that “At the dry end of the mill ... Employee exposed ... caught in hazard at the unguarded drum reel when using the compressed air wand. Drum reel spokes were not guarded against accidental contact.”

The proposed penalty for this citation is $6,630.

The second citation notes that “Feeder belts, carrier ropes, air carriage, or other equally effective means were not provided for starting paper into the nip or drum-type reels,” further noting that “At the dry end of the mill ... Effective means were not provided for starting paper into the nip at the drum reel and spool.”

The proposed penalty for this citation is $9,282.

The company is entitled to an “informal conference” during which the company can contest any alleged violations, provide abatement certification to OSHA as evidence that the condition cited as dangerous has been abated, and can present a case that the penalty should be reduced or dropped, or make other proposals.

“If conditions warrant, we can enter into an informal settlement agreement which amicably resolves this matter without litigation or contest,” the notice says. Or litigation can begin.

But the company must decide quickly. The deadline for requesting such a conference is within 15 days of receipt of the notice from OSHA. Penalties are also due by that date.

PSPI has not responded to requests for comment.