This week OSHA published the Compliance Directive for Region IV’s Regional Emphasis Program (REP) for Safety Hazards in Auto Parts Industry – NAICS 3363XX (Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing). Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that in 2021 the auto parts supplier industry had higher injury and illness rates – 3.3 per 100 full-time workers – than private industry nationwide, which had a rate of 2.7 per 100 full time workers. Currently, BLS data shows that the 2021 Days-Away, Restricted, Transfer (DART) rate overall has dropped to 2.1 from 2.7 in 2016, but is still higher than the national private industry DART rate of 1.7 for 2021.
A review of OIS data from October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2022, revealed that a total of 299 inspections in this industry were completed in Region IV. Of the 216 inspections that
were not in compliance, more than 87.5% of them resulted in Serious, Repeat, and Willful violations. 793 violations were cited, with 24 classified as Willful and 53 classified as
Repeat. Two hundred and forty-six violations were associated with lockout/tag-out, and 179 violations were associated with machine guarding.