NEWS

July 2, 2007
Prisons settle over fines on safety

By William Petroski
Des Moines Register Staff Writer

State prisons in Fort Madison and Newton have agreed to pay a total of $19,000 in fines stemming from three workplace accidents and an incident involving an inmate being forcibly removed from a cell.

The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Bureau had originally proposed fines totaling $92,000 for the incidents, which range from inmates suffering injuries while using power saws to correctional officers being exposed to potentially infectious materials.

Under a tentative agreement reached last week, the fines will be reduced, said Gail Sheridan-Lucht, a state lawyer for the safety bureau.

Under the settlement terms, Iowa Department of Corrections officials have not admitted violating safety regulations, but have promised to fix the problems, including providing additional training, Sheridan-Lucht said.

State prison officials had originally contested violations cited by safety inspectors, and the case had been scheduled for a hearing last week before a state administrative law judge.

"They have agreed that these are serious items," Sheridan-Lucht said.

Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta said Friday that the department recognizes the importance of providing safe working conditions for its staff and a safe environment for inmates.

He said the department also appreciates efforts by the safety bureau, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to help Iowa's prisons comply with safety standards and regulations.

The incidents, according to state safety records: Fort Madison inmate Mack Bass severed a finger on a table saw in an Iowa Prison Industries shop on March 2, 2006. Fort Madison inmate Charles Ranson was severely cut by an electrical saw seven months earlier. An unidentified inmate at the Newton Correctional Facility suffered an electric shock on Jan. 5, 2006, while he repaired a food service steam table. The electricity hadn't been shut off before repairs began, records showed.

An alleged trouble-making inmate who was pulled from his cell at the Newton prison in January 2006 exposed prison employees to blood or potentially other infectious materials.

Prison Industries officials have said that Bass and Ranson violated prison safety rules. Bass had not been trained to use the saw and did not have permission to operate it, said Becky Munoz, Fort Madison's prison industries manager. In Ranson's case, a "Do Not Operate" sign had been placed near the saw because it was set up for a specific job, she said.

One of the citations contended that Newton prison managers did not ensure that staff members washed their hands and other skin as soon as possible after they were exposed to blood and other infectious materials.

The prison also did not ensure that staffers wore protective gear such as helmets and face shields, inspectors said.

Boots and uniforms of officers that were penetrated with blood and other infectious materials were not promptly taken off after the forced cell removal, inspectors said.

They said the employees also hadn't received proper training on blood-borne pathogens.

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