Pet Food Research Firm Fined $167,000 for Failing to Provide Respirators to Workers
Four willful violations, with proposed fines of $161,700, were cited for two instances of allegedly failing to provide a respirator to protect workers exposed to total dust in the production facility.
OSHA has cited All Feed Processing and Packing Inc. with five health, including four willful violations, for repeatedly failing to provide respirators to workers and monitor their exposure to respirable dust at its Galva, Ill., pet food research and packaging facility. The company faces $167,090 in proposed fines following an investigation in January.
"All Feed is well aware of OSHA's health regulations but has irresponsibly ignored them and put its employees in harm's way," said Tom Bielema, OSHA's area director in Peoria. "Employers have a responsibility to ensure work environments are healthful and safe, which includes providing appropriate equipment and training to protect workers from respiratory hazards."
Four willful violations, with proposed fines of $161,700, were cited for two instances of allegedly failing to provide a respirator to protect workers exposed to total dust in the production facility, exposing workers to total dust at concentrations in excess of the permissible exposure limits, and failing to implement adequate engineering controls when employees performing work activities were exposed to total dust.
One serious violation, with a proposed fine of $5,390, was cited for failing to identify and evaluate respiratory hazards in the workplace and make a reasonable estimate of employees' exposure to respiratory hazards.
Prior to this inspection, All Feed Processing and Packaging had been inspected by OSHA nine times since 2000, resulting in a significant enforcement action on four occasions. The nine inspections led to citations for 42 serious, 15 willful, five repeat, and 10 other-than-serious violations, many of which related to failing to monitor and limit employees' exposure to hazardous dust.
OSHA has placed All Feed Processing and Packaging in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law.