A 29-year-old temporary worker at an Ohio food processing plant suffered critical injuries after falling into an industrial blender he was cleaning, resulting in 17 violations and $1.9 million in proposed penalties after the worker’s injuries required a leg amputation.
According to a release by the Department of Labor, Zwanenberg Food Group USA is facing proposed penalties of $1.9 million after investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the Cincinnati-based firm for 17 violations, including 11 willful ones. The probe found that the company did not train sanitation workers to lockout equipment before cleaning it, exposing them to moving machine parts. Zwanenberg had been cited for similar violations less than two weeks before the incident occurred, investigators revealed.
“This young man suffered a preventable debilitating injury because his employer failed to train him and the majority of its third-shift sanitation workers adequately to lockout equipment to ensure their own safety,” OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago said in the release. “This tragedy is compounded by the fact that OSHA cited Zwanenberg for similar violations two weeks prior, and they continued to ignore their responsibility to protect workers in their plant.”
The agency also ruled that Zwanenberg failed to verify changes to the lockout/tagout procedures and did not retrain workers when changes occurred. In addition, the company failed to periodically test the procedures and correct deviations. Investigators also noted that trip hazards, electrical safe work procedures, lack of eye protection and personal protective equipment assessments were also noted.
OSHA previously cited Zwanenberg in 2017, and again on Sept. 30 for violations of machine safety procedures and other hazards. The company has contested the most recent violations, as it was required to do within 15 business days of receipt of the citations and penalties to request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
