The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
cited Case Farms Processing, Inc. for three safety and health violations, comprised of two repeat
and one other than serious violations. They come in response to an inspection of a worksite in
Winesburg, OH in October of 2015. This inspection was initiated in response to a referral from
another government agency. The citations are for violations relating to unreported workplace
illnesses, including a failure to: complete an OSHA 301 form for each recordable injury or
illness; record an injury or illness within seven calendar days of occurrence; or provide requested
records within four business hours. The referral brought into question record-keeping practices
and employee exposure to campylobacter bacteria, which can be contracted by humans who
touch animal feces; this bacteria can lead to gastrointestinal infection. These violations carry
proposed penalties of $23,100.
“Case Farms has a long track record of failing to comply with federal workplace safety standards
and needs to follow-through on its commitment to make improvements to equipment, procedures
and training to protect its workers on the job,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s area director in
Columbus. “OSHA will remain vigilant until the company keeps its workers safe by making
needed improvements to equipment, procedures and training.”
This incident is a great reminder of how important record-keeping is in your occupational safety
and health plans. Too often, we go in to work with clients who have great policies and
procedures in place to protect their employees from injury and illness, however they are lacking
on the back-end. Unfortunately, improper record keeping can still lead to serious issues with
OSHA.
If you have any questions about your occupational safety and health policies and procedures,
please contact us. If you have anything to add about this inspection, please leave a comment.
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