Company Cited After Worker’s Arm Inflated in Massachusetts

A Massachusetts company where a worker’s arm was inflated in an industrial accident has been cited by federal workplace safety regulators.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday says it’s recommending penalties of nearly $300,000 against Shield Packaging in Dudley, Mass., for what it says were 17 serious violations. Among them, it says that the company did not call 911 or inform the agency of the May accident.

Shield Packaging did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

OSHA says the temporary worker had not been properly trained and was on a production line where a gas head injects chemicals into aerosol cans. OSHA says the gas head needle pierced his finger and injected a propellant gas, which inflated his arm.

The man had to be hospitalized.