OSHA’s inspection found that the machine’s moving parts were not guarded against employee contact, and the machine’s power source had not been shut down and locked out prior to the cleaning. As a result, OSHA has issued the company one willful citation, with a proposed fine of $56,000, for not guarding the machine against employee contact and one repeat citation, with a $3,000 fine, for not shutting down and locking out the machine.
“This is the second accident in 3 years at this plant involving machinery that wasn’t properly guarded or locked out,” said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. “This employer must take prompt, effective, and ongoing action to correct these hazards and prevent future injuries.”
OSHA also has issued the company four serious citations, with $7,500 in proposed fines, for lack of lockout/tagout training and hardware, no annual inspection of the plant’s hazardous energy control procedures and use of an unapproved forklift in an area where flammable cocoa dust was present.
The repeat citation stemmed from a similar lockout/tagout hazard cited in October 2006 after an employee lost parts of two fingers in an accident from a month earlier.
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