OSHA probing Pratt paper mill on Staten Island over injury of worker


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (From news reports) -- An incident involving a worker who was injured by a machine at a paper mill on Staten Island has triggered a government probe.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the injury of an unidentified male on the grounds of Pratt Industries in Travis on Monday.

The 22-year-old lineman was pulled into the paper-mill machine by his right arm while working at his station, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The probe was initiated two days after the incident; the employer being inspected by the agency is Pratt Industries, according to a spokesman for OSHA.

The OSHA inspection seeks to determine what workplace safety standards apply in this situation and whether or not the employer complied with those standards.

If the inspection identifies violations, OSHA could issue citations to and propose penalties for the employer, the agency's spokesman said

OSHA does not discuss the specifics of ongoing inspections and has up to six months to complete a probe once it is initiated.

The worker sustained injuries to the face and chest areas when he was pulled into a machine around 8 p.m. on Monday inside the mill on the 4000 block of Victory Boulevard, it was previously reported.

Initially, authorities said that the injured worker was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

He was expected to survive the ordeal, however suffered extensive injuries to his arm, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

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