OSHA Fines Abbyland Foods for Unsafe Work Conditions
Tuesday, June 13th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM
(Karen Madden, Marshfield News Herald) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing $277,472 in penalties for Abbyland Foods following two recent incidents that left employees with serious hand injuries.
According to Karen Madden with the Marshfield News Herald, in December, a turning auger on a meat processing machine at Abbyland Foods, 502 Lyndon St., Abbotsford, amputated the top of a 37-year-old worker's finger, according to a U.S. Department of Labor news release.
In January, a sliding guard on a trash compactor crushed a 23-year-old employee's hand. Following the December injury, OSHA expanded its inspection of Abbyland Foods under the Wisconsin Food Manufacturing Industry Local Emphasis Program, according to the news release.
The program focuses on many hazards that can lead to serious injury, illness and death in the food manufacturing industry. OSHA interviewed more than 70 employees across all shifts at the facility during the two investigations.
The investigations led to citations for a repeat violation and 17 serious violations, according to the news release. Most of the infractions involved the company failing to follow lockout procedures and provide adequate machine guarding to protect workers.
Prior to these incidents, OSHA had cited Abbyland Foods with 22 serious violations since 2013 and proposed more than $56,000 in penalties, according to the news release. Abbyland Foods has operated a custom meat processing plant and retail store in Abbotsford since 1977.
The company has more than 1,000 employees in eight divisions that manufacture a variety of cooked meat and traditional fresh and smokehouse sausage products. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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