Balchem Corp. subsidiary BCP Ingredients Inc. faces $300,759 in fines after the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revealed health and safety hazards at the company’s Verona, MO production facility.

The agency initiated an investigation at the location after receiving two complaints were made that the feed ingredients plant has unsafe working conditions. OSHA identified 24 serious violations, including combustible dust hazards, electrical safety hazards, exposing workers to toxic and hazardous chemicals due to inadequate process safety management procedures and monitoring. Citations were also issued for a lack of adequate machine guarding and hazardous energy control procedures (lockout/tagout), which increased the risk of amputations.

“The company’s failure to comply with safety and health requirements exposed hundreds of workers to toxic chemicals and unguarded machine hazards,” OSHA Area Director Karena Lorek in Kansas City, MO said in an agency release. “OSHA will always respond to reports of unsafe working conditions to ensure employers meet their legal obligation to product workers on the job.”

BCP Ingredients is a part of Balchem’s Animal Nutrition and Health division. Its portfolio includes choline, chelated minerals, and functional ingredients.