The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) quoted Safeway Inc. on August 10, claiming that the company violated the company’s dairy plant lockout/tagout, machine protection, and other standards. The total fine proposed by OSHA is US$339,379.
The agency inspected a Denver milk packaging plant operated by Safeway because a worker lost four fingers while operating a molding machine that lacked the necessary protection measures.
“Safeway Inc. knew that its equipment lacked protective measures, but the company chose to continue working without considering worker safety,” OSHA Denver Regional Director Amanda Kupper said in an agency statement. “This indifference caused a worker to suffer serious permanent injuries.”
According to OSHA, Safeway is a subsidiary of Albertsons Companies and operates stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia.
OSHA cited Safeway as a serious violation of the lockout/tagout standards and found that the company did not:
The agency cited Safeway’s deliberate and serious violation of the lockout/tagout standard because when maintenance employees worked on the two molding machines in the factory, they failed to develop, record, and utilize step-by-step procedures to control potentially hazardous energy. OSHA also cited Safeway’s intentional and serious violation of machine protection standards for unprotected machines, exposing employees to the danger of amputation, trapping/intermediation, and crushing.
OSHA cited Safeway’s claim that it severely violated the walking work surface standards for hydraulic oil leakage, causing potential slip and fall hazards. Institutional inspectors found that the spill pad was not replaced when it was fully saturated, and the loose cardboard was placed on the floor along the bottom of the forming machine.
The agency also cited the employer’s claim that it severely violated the compressed gas standards for unsafe nitrogen cylinders. The inspector found that a nitrogen cylinder in the middle of the room behind the molding machine was upright and not fixed.
After receiving the subpoena and penalty, Safeway has 15 working days to comply with the agency’s penalty and relief order, requesting an informal meeting with the OSHA regional director, or presenting the agency’s investigation results in front of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Board objection.
Lockout/tagout and machine protection standards are the most commonly cited standards by OSHA. In the 2020 fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, the agency cited the lockout/tagout standard (29 CFR §1910.147) 2,065 times and the machine protection standard (§1910.212) 1,313 times. OSHA has also developed an ongoing National Priority Program (NEP) for manufacturing amputations, including inspection and enforcement of lockout/tagout and machine protection standards.
Post time: Sep-11-2021