Spice Processor Fined $121K for Equipment-Related Safety Hazards
OSHA found amputation, struck-by, crushed-by, and electrical hazards during an inspection of the iSpice LLC facility in Alabama.
Global spices importer, processor, and supplier iSpice LLC was issued a penalty of $121,511 after the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uncovered safety hazards during an inspection of the firm’s Jackson, AL facility.
The agency said in a recent release that inspectors uncovered amputation, struck-by, crushed-by, and electrical hazards. Workers at the facility were permitted to clean mixing equipment without using a lockout device to prevent the machine from unexpectedly starting during service and maintenance. iSpice also failed to use energy control procedures, train workers on lockout/tagout practices, or install machine guarding to protect workers from the rotating parts of the mixer.
OSHA also found that the company allowed employees to use powered industrial trucks with a damaged seatbelt, exposing them to struck-by and crushed-by hazards, and failing to ensure that drivers were competent to operate the equipment. Electrical hazards were present as multiple boxes and outlets were uncovered or did not have faceplates. A fan was in use that had an exposed splice in the cord.
“The employer put their employees at serious risk needlessly by failing to provide training and implement well-known protections,” OSHA Area Director in Mobile, AL Jose Gonzales said in a statement. “These protections are not optional, they are every workers right.”
iSpice has 15 business days to comply, contest the findings before an independent panel, or request an informal conference with an OSHA area director.
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