November 3, 2015
Nov. 2, 2015
Citations received: Oct. 30, 2015
Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Madison Area Office cited the food product manufacturer for one willful, 12 serious and one other-than-serious safety violations.
The citations follow a May 2015 OSHA complaint investigation. Inspectors found the company did not use locking devices to prevent unintentional operation during service and maintenance, which exposed workers to moving machine parts, and it allowed employees to work on live electrical circuits.
OSHA also found the company failed to:
- Evaluate workplaces for confined space hazards, inform employees of the location of confined spaces, and to implement a permit-required confined space program.
- Train employees in machine safety procedures.
- Train and evaluate powered industrial truck operators.
- Provide electrical protective equipment.
- Train workers about chemicals used in the workplace.
- Record injury and illness data.
Quote: “Workers risked injury each time they serviced this equipment,” said Ann Grevenkamp, OSHA’s area director in Madison. “Each year hundreds of workers are injured on the job because employers like IPMF fail to train them about hazards in the workplace. The company must evaluate its health and safety program to ensure workers are protected on the job.”
Proposed Penalties: $103,600
Citations: https://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/OSHA20152078fs.pdf*
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Madison Area Office at 608-441-5388.
Related Training DVDs:
Machine Guard Safety Training Video & DVD
Help employees understand the dangers of working with machinery and how those risks can be minimized by proper installation & more. View Product
LockOut TagOut Training Video
Uses environments familiar to employees working with both electric and hydraulic/pneumatic equipment. View Product
Confined Space Entry Training Video
Provides employees with the information they need to stay safe in Permit Spaces and helps employers stay in compliance with OSHA requirements. View Product