The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was certainly no chicken when it proposed a whopping $187,100 in penalties for 11 safety violations by poultry processor KD Acquisition I LLC (Coleman Natural Foods). The agency launched an investigation after receiving a complaint in September last year over safety concerns.
Although OSHA courses, such as OSHA 10 training and OSHA 30 course (both online OSHA training), are now pre-employment requirements, many workers are still exposed to unnecessary worksite hazards because of negligence or ignorance.
OSHA cited KD Acquisition for two repeat violations for letting untrained workers to work on and operate a conveyor belt system without machine guards, which shield workers from rotating parts, and expelled chips and sparks. The company's KD5 plant in Braselton was similarly cited in 2007.
In addition, OSHA cited the company for eight serious violations involving, among others: failure to give proper safety protection to workers exposed to anhydrous ammonia, a toxic caustic gas; failure to train workers handling hazardous materials; failure to give written lockout/tagout procedures to shut down power equipment; and failure to perform an annual review of procedures to verify their accuracy.
OSHA also found that KD Acquisitions exposed its workers to several electrical hazards and to fall hazards from stairs located close to an unprotected roof edge.
"KD Acquisitions has a history of endangering its workers by exposing them to serious safety and health hazards that must be corrected before a worker is seriously injured," stated William Fulcher, OSHA's Atlanta-East office director.
Meanwhile, for failing to protect its workers from exposure to asbestos, a dangerous and well-known carcinogen in industry and construction, Illinois-based A.M. Castle & Co. received 22 serious health-violation citations from the government work-safety watchdog, following a complaint. A total penalty of $127,600 has been proposed.
"Failing to take proper precautions when removing asbestos puts workers at risk for respiratory and other serious illnesses," explained Diane Turek, the OSHA Chicago North Area Office director. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers on the job, especially when employers fail to do so."
Among the violations: failure to determine the presence, location, and quantity of asbestos-containing material; failure to label and affix warnings on asbestos-containing piping; failure to create a controlled area for asbestos removal; failure to monitor employees and the work area for asbestos exposure during removal operations; and failure to use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum during asbestos removal.
OSHA also uncovered the employer’s failure to provide its employees the requisite asbestos awareness training and to supply proper protective clothing and respirators during removal operations.
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