Tufco LP, a Green Bay-based industry leader in the manufacturing of branded and industrial wet and dry wipe products, has been fined $194,000 for violating federal regulations. The violation pertains to an incident involving the amputation of an employee’s fingertips last summer. It was also discovered that the company neglected to report the incident as mandated by federal law.
According to a Department of Labor (DOL) news release, the DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation revealed that an employee had their fingertips severed while clearing a pump’s outfeed at Tufco LP in August 2023. The OSHA investigation found that workers were exposed to hazardous conditions due to inadequate safety measures. The product lines were not locked out or shut down, leaving workers vulnerable at the pumps' point of operation. The affected employee was part of an overnight team responsible for cleaning melt tanks used in producing scented laundry beads.
"Each year, hundreds of workers suffer injuries because their employers expose them to machine operating parts and fail to train them in safety procedures," said OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wis. He further added, "Tufco LP expanded their capabilities with new products and machines but failed to assess and mitigate potential hazards prior to allowing employees to run the new product lines. Employers should make the health and safety of workers a core value in their workplaces."
OSHA had previously cited Tufco in 2019 and 2021 for exposing workers to similar machine hazards. According to the news release, it was determined that Tufco did not have lockout/tagout procedures in place that would have prevented employees from contact with moving machine parts. Additionally, it was found that employees were not retrained on this information, there was a lack of machine guarding, and Tufco declined to utilize and employ a respiratory protection program on its campus. Tufco now has 15 business days to pay the $194,000 fine or request a meeting with OSHA’s area director.
