P.M. BRIEFING : U.S. Fines Ford $1.2-Million for Inadequate Safety Records

Ford Motor Co. agreed today to pay a $1.2-million fine for violating federal rules on job safety record keeping, the government said.

In a separate settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ford agreed to undertake a comprehensive program to reduce ergonomic hazards--or workplace injuries caused by repetitive-motion tasks--at 96% of its plants.

The Labor Department called that agreement the most extensive ergonomics settlement in OSHA’s history.

The $1.2-million fine stems from a 1989 inspection of a Ford Electronics and Refrigeration facility in Lansdale, Pa., where OSHA inspectors found that Ford was keeping inadequate job illness and injury records.

OSHA had originally proposed a nearly $2-million fine against Ford for “willfully” failing to keep proper records, noting that twice before the auto maker had been cited for such violations and had pledged to improve its record keeping.

As part of the record-keeping agreement, Ford will establish, at 12 of its facilities, an audit system for workers’ medical, compensation, sickness, accident and health insurance records.