OSHA cites food manufacturer for safety violations, levies $121,660 fine

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently cited a Louisiana food manufacturer for 16 serious and repeat safety violations, saying that Acadian Fine Foods LLC failed to protect workers from unsafe levels of carbon dioxide and dangerous machines.
“Acadian Fine Foods exposed employees to levels of carbon dioxide that were at least four times above the permissible exposure limit. This glaring neglect of worker health and safety will not be tolerated,” Dorinda Folse, OSHA’s area director in Baton Rouge, said in a press release. “OSHA’s safety and health standards must be followed to prevent worker injuries and fatalities. It is the employer’s responsibility to find and fix these hazards.”
Acadian Fine Foods LLC processes meat and poultry at its Louisiana plant. The company received a notice of $121,660 in fines for numerous violations, including failing to guard moving machine parts, conduct yearly inspections of lockout/tagout procedures and provide personal protective equipment. OSHA deemed 14 of the violations to be “serious,” which means that they created a considerable likelihood that an employee could become seriously injured or killed.
If you work in food manufacturing, remember that such violations are incredibly dangerous to you and your workers and can also carry stiff financial penalties. Avoid serious accidents and hefty fines by always making sure that your employees have undergone the proper safety training so that they know how to stay protected on the job. Mastery Technologies offers a number of invaluable training courses for food manufacturers, covering topics that range from lockout/tagout requirements to personal protective equipment and a general safety awareness orientation. Good Manufacturing Practices for Food Production offers industry-specific compliance training. To see these options and more, browse the Mastery website today.