NEENAH, WI – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into an employee’s amputation injury at a Neenah manufacturing plant owned by Dixon Ticonderoga Co. in February 2023, found one of America’s oldest and most recognized companies again failed to follow required safety procedures.
For some of us old-old-old school folks, nothing that says “back to school” like a big bunch of freshly sharpened, yellow No. 2 pencils. So here’s a cheer for No. 2 Pencil Day and to the history of longtime pencil-maker Dixon Ticonderoga, whose headquarters are in Lake Mary. pic.twitter.com/3NP4TClZNd
— Orange County Regional History Center (@HistoryCenterFL) August 17, 2023
An inspection by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Dixon Ticonderoga Co.’s facility found the art supply manufacturer lacked adequate machine safety procedures.
Since 2020, the agency has cited the Neenah facility three times for similar violations. OSHA inspectors determined the injury occurred as the worker tried to clean a press used to imprint images in labeling and packaging processes, which lacked required safety guards.
Inspectors also learned that Dixon Ticonderoga Co. had not developed clear and specific procedures for controlling hazardous energy and did not protect workers by employing these measures before servicing and maintaining equipment. “For the fourth time in three years, our inspectors found Dixon Ticonderoga exposing workers to severe injuries by failing to make sure dangerous machines are guarded or de-energized as required,” explained OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wisconsin. OSHA cited the company for two repeat and four serious violations and proposed $203,806 in penalties.
Headquartered in Appleton, Dixon Ticonderoga Co. is affiliated with F.I.L.A. Group of Italy, one of the world’s largest art and education suppliers. Founded in 1812 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the company is one of the nation’s first pencil manufacturers and today produces pencils, art papers and supplies, craft essentials and educational materials.
Dixon Ticonderoga Co. has about 400 employees, including 70 in Neenah. OSHA’s machine guarding and control of hazardous energy webpages provide information on what employers must do to limit worker exposures to machine hazards.
The Department of Labor says that Dixon Ticonderoga Co. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
About OSHA
With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. OSHA is part of the United States Department of Labor. The administrator for OSHA is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. OSHA’s administrator answers to the Secretary of Labor, who is a member of the cabinet of the President of the United States.