OSHA Proposes More than $1.1 Million in Penalties to Milk Specialties Co. in Whitehall, Wis.
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009 |
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The
U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) has cited Milk Specialties Co. in Whitehall with
violations of federal workplace safety and health standards and
proposed $1,145,200 in penalties.
OSHA began a December 2008
inspection in response to a complaint alleging a variety of safety
hazards at the company's whey processing plant. Willful citations have
been issued for the employer's failure to comply with OSHA's confined
space entry and control of hazardous energy requirements. Untrained
employees entered confined spaces and performed maintenance and
cleaning on powered equipment without protection from various hazards.
Proposed penalties for the 17 willful violations total $1,071,000. OSHA
defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to
or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
"I am
committed to ensuring workers return home to their families safe and
healthy at the end of every shift," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L.
Solis. "Employers must fully address hazards, properly train their
employees and plan their work in a safe manner."
Seventeen
serious citations, with proposed penalties totaling $52,400, include
combustible dust and electrical hazards; lack of exit route lighting
and signage; lack of confined space evaluations; uninspected fire
extinguishers; and untrained and uncertified powered industrial truck
operators, among other issues. A serious citation is issued when death
or serious physical harm is likely to result if an accident were to
occur from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Four
repeat violations with penalties totaling $21,800 address the guarding
of floor and wall openings, ladders and respiratory protection, and
other issues addressed in previous inspections of this company. OSHA
issues a repeat citation when it finds an employer's violation is
substantially similar to a previously cited condition that was affirmed
as a violation through a final order of the Occupational Safety and
Health Review Commission.
Milk Specialties has been inspected by
OSHA 15 times since 1974, including four inspections in Wisconsin
between 2006 and 2008, with citations resulting from many of the same
safety and health hazards cited in the most recent inspection.
The
company engages in the research, development and manufacture of protein
and fat products for nutritional applications and feeding regimes that
include products such as pasteurized milk extenders, spray-dried
protein encapsulated fats, dried whey permeates, and condensed whey and
liquid whey products.
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