The federal government fined Zwanenberg Food Group $1.7 million after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found several violations at its facility in Green Township, Ohio. The fines come after two temporary employees lost body parts working at the meat processing plant.Some of the improvements include:
“By agreeing to make extensive safety improvements and work with OSHA and industry experts to address workplace hazards, Zwanenberg Food Group will be better equipped to ensure the safety and protect the lives of current employees and future workers at its Cincinnati production facility,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Labor, a 29-year-old employee suffered critical injuries following a fall into an industrial blender in October 2022. OSHA determined that Zwanenberg Food Group ignored safety standards.
The worker reached into a meat grinder's discharge port that lacked the required safety guards, OSHA found. After its investigation into the most recent incident, OSHA cited the company for two repeat violations: not having required machine guarding on a discharge port and failing to train employees on the company's lockout/tagout processes.