Severe Saw Injury Prompts Investigation that Leads to More than a Dozen Safety Hazards
OSHA has determined that the injury was preventable
OSHA has issued 15 serious safety violations to FPL Food LLC after learning a worker was hospitalized and launched an investigation as a result.
The investigation discovered that a hydraulic saw lacerated the abdomen of a saw operator as he cut meat. OSHA determined that the saw’s safety cut-off switches were not functioning properly.
As a result, OSHA cited the company for exposing workers to falls on platforms without rails; electric shock from improper wiring; and amputations from unguarded cutting blades.
"The results of this investigation clearly indicate that FPL Food's safety and health management plan is ineffective and not being enforced," said William Fulcher, OSHA's area director in the Atlanta-East Office. "Management must make worker safety its top priority and be engaged in enforcing it."