Texas Bakery Fined $199,600 for Hazardous Chemicals Violations
OSHA cited the same company in 2006 for similar violations at Plant 2 of the China Grove facility with proposed penalties of $78,300. The company also was cited in April 2011 with proposed penalties of $229,400 following an amputation incident and multiple inspections at the two facilities.
OSHA has cited Lone Star Bakery Inc. for 18 serious and three repeat safety and health violations at Plant 2 of the company's facility in China Grove, Texas. A Jan. 10 inspection conducted by OSHA's San Antonio Area Office found that the company failed to establish a program to manage highly hazardous chemicals covered by OSHA's process safety management standard. Proposed penalties total $199,600.
"This company repeatedly has jeopardized the safety of its employees," said Jeff Funke, OSHA's area director in San Antonio. "Failure to ensure that highly hazardous chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia are managed through a robust process safety management program is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
Serious violations include failing to ensure that employees participate in a process safety management program, including the development of process hazard analyses; ensure piping and instrumentation diagrams are current and accurate; ensure that tanks containing anhydrous ammonia are properly protected by recognized and generally accepted engineering practices; ensure operating procedures are in place; and develop and implement standard operating procedures for emergency situations.
Repeat violations include failing to resolve process hazard analysis recommendations in a timely manner, train employees on emergency shutdown procedures and the consequences of operating outside of normal operating parameters, and develop detailed procedures for employees responding to emergencies.
OSHA cited the same company in 2006 for similar violations at Plant 2 of the China Grove facility with proposed penalties of $78,300. The company also was cited in April 2011 with proposed penalties of $229,400 following an amputation incident and multiple inspections at the two facilities.
Lone Star Bakery employs about 500 workers at its China Grove facility.