A federal court placed a Pennsylvania poultry processing facility in contempt for failing to pay $162,359 in fines from citations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Multiple safety risks, including intentional, serious and persistent violations, by Birdsboro Kosher Farms Corporation, were discovered by OSHA investigators, according to an Oct. 27 news release.
“OSHA’s safety and health standards protect workers and ensure their jobs don’t expose them to needless risks,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in the release. “Employers who ignore their responsibility to provide a safe work environment or who deny their legal obligations will be held to account by the U.S. Department of Labor.”
OSHA cited individuals for breaking federal lockout/tagout, hearing conservation and personal protective equipment regulations as a result of the inspections, the release reported.
Birdsboro Kosher Farms’ actions were reaffirmed as violations of federal law by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda said, the release reported.
Every resource available to the Department of Labor will be used to ensure workers’ job safety, Nanda said. That includes holding employers accountable for violating laws intended to protect workers, according to the release.
