Target inspection leads to fines at meatpacking plant
Target inspection leads to fines at meatpacking plant
After targeting the site because it is in a high-hazard industry, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Monfort Beef Division in Cactus, TX, for 23 alleged safety and health violations with proposed penalties of $138,275.
Monfort Beef Division, owned by Con Agra Beef Company in Greeley, CO, employs about 2,500 workers at its Cactus meatpacking plant. The alleged violations were discovered during a planned OSHA "Site Specific Target Program" inspection conducted on Oct. 5, 1999. The planned inspection is aimed at specific high-hazard industries on the basis of the company’s high injury and illness rate. (See story about the program, p. 69.)
Violations related to other locations
OSHA cited the company with 14 serious, five repeat, and four other-than-serious violations. Some of the 14 serious violations were forklift operators not wearing seat belts, defective pressure gauges, fall protection hazards from open-sided platforms and lack of railings, defective ladders remaining in service, and fixed metal ladders with less than a 7-inch clearance. A serious violation is defined as one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.
The five repeat violations were for unguarded walkways and platforms and failing to have machine guards on all rotating parts. A number of the repeat violations are related to OSHA inspections conducted at Monfort facilities in Grand Island, NE, and Greeley, CO.
The four other-than-serious violations included these hazards:
• not marking the load capacity rating on upstairs storage;
• not providing nonslip treads on fixed stairs;
• not providing standard railings on all open sides of stairways;
• not identifying the location of fire extinguishers;
• not fully charging fire extinguishers;
• work rests adjusted more than allowed on grinding machinery.
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