OSHA Cites Illinois Pork Facility for Safety Violations: Is Workers Comp Enough for Injured Workers?

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a pork processing facility in Beardstown, Illinois. OSHA officials inspected the Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. facility following a complaint about working conditions. OSHA cited safety violations for failure to protect workers from unexpected startups on machines. Proposed fines total $114,000.

According to reports, management at Cargill directed employees to perform maintenance on carbon dioxide equipment without documenting lockout/tagout prevention procedures beforehand.

“Cargill has a responsibility to provide training to workers about the hazards that exist in their facilities, and how they respond to safety concerns expressed by workers,” said OSHA Regional Director Thomas Bielem. “OSHA is committed to protecting workers on the job, especially when employers fail to do so.”

The failure to document procedures is classified as a serious OSHA violations. Employers must be able to prove to OSHA inspectors that they have communicated safety hazard procedures to their employees effectively.

Please contact our firm for a free consultation if you are filing for workers comp and need assistance.

Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers compensation attorneys.