Food Processing Plant Gets $1.9 Million Penalty For Amputation

Ohio food processing plant Zwanenberg Food Group USA Inc. has been cited for $1.9 million in proposed penalties for 11 willful, four serious, one repeat, and one other-than-serious violations, the DOL announced Thursday.

While cleaning an industrial blender, a temporary worker fell and became caught in the rotating paddle augers. He suffered injuries that led to a leg amputation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found.

The company was cited for failure to train sanitation workers to lockout the equipment before cleaning, failure to verify changes to the lockout/tagout procedures, and failure to test the procedures, the agency said. ...