The U.S. Department
of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has
cited Endres Processing LLC, headquartered in Rosemount, Minn., and its
subsidiary, Endres Processing Ohio LLC, with safety and health
violations that include exposing workers to combustible dust hazards.
The firm manufactures an animal feed supplement from unsold bakery
products. Proposed fines total $472,900.
OSHA began a health inspection in June after receiving information that
fires had occurred in the Ohio plant, and that large amounts of dust
from the manufacturing process had accumulated throughout the worksite.
"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will not tolerate
the exposure of workers to preventable hazardous conditions," said
acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "The
destructive and violent power of dust explosions is clear, and
employers have an obligation to keep workers safe."
Following the health inspection, OSHA issued four willful violations
with penalties totaling $252,000 and five serious violations with
penalties totaling $14,900. The willful violations allege the lack of
explosion protection, the failure to equip process equipment with
combustible dust collection systems, hazardous accumulations of dust,
and the use of electrical equipment that was unsafe to use in areas
with combustible dust accumulation. The serious violations address
hazards from workers breathing the dust, allowing combustible materials
in areas where workers were welding, and unsafe electrical equipment
and practices. The proposed health violation fines total $266,900.
A safety inspection was also initiated, and OSHA issued two willful
violations with penalties totaling $126,000 and 21 serious violations
with penalties totaling $80,000 following that inspection. The willful
violations allege confined space hazards and failing to train employees
in using the fire fighting system. The serious violations allege a
variety of hazards. They include fall hazards, problems with emergency
exit lighting, failure to train on and exposure to hazardous
machine-energy sources, and additional unsafe electrical equipment and
practices. The proposed safety violation fines total $206,000.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or
voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain
indifference to employee safety and health. An OSHA violation is
serious if death or serious physical harm can result if an accident
were to occur from a hazard an employer knew or should have known
exists.
The Upper Sandusky site, then owned by Advanced Organics Inc., has been
inspected twice since 2004, with serious citations issued for fall
protection, combustible dust issues, electrical hazards, machine
guarding and fall hazards following the earlier inspections.
The safety and health fines total $472,900 and the company has 15
business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an
informal conference with the OSHA area director or contest the findings
before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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