OSHA Cites Alabama Meat Processing Plant for Repeated Safety Violations
OSHA has cited Dean Sausage Company for repeated safety violations, proposing $103,245 in fines after a July 2024 inspection.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Jan 06, 2025
OSHA has proposed $103,245 in penalties against Dean Sausage Company Inc. following a July 2024 inspection at its Atalla, Alabama, facility. The agency found the company failed to address safety issues identified in inspections in 2022 and 2023.
According to a recent release, OSHA’s latest inspection revealed three repeat violations, including failure to implement proper lockout/tagout procedures, inadequate employee training on those procedures and the absence of a written hazard communication program for handling hazardous chemicals. Inspectors also identified two serious violations for missing electrical panel covers.
This marks the third time OSHA has cited the company for similar issues. The December 2022 inspection resulted in $109,823 in penalties for multiple safety violations, including unguarded machinery, unsafe electrical installations and chemical hazards. A follow-up inspection in September 2023 found the company had not corrected these deficiencies, leading to additional citations.
“Putting employees at risk by neglecting safety is a reckless way to operate. Dean Sausage Company’s repeated disregard for worker safety shows a troubling priority of profits over people,” OSHA Area Office Director Joel Batiz in Birmingham, Alabama, said in a statement. “The company must correct its disturbing workplace safety failures before an employee suffers a needless injury or worse. The people who work there every day to help put food on our tables deserve better, and we will continue to hold the employer accountable until they make safety a priority.”
Dean Sausage Company, founded in 1955, manufactures and distributes sausage products across the southern U.S. OSHA’s investigation is part of a national emphasis program aimed at reducing workplace amputation hazards in manufacturing.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.