OSHA cites JBS Green Bay beef plant over hazardous working conditions, proposes $227,000 fine
GREEN BAY – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday announced 10 citations against JBS Green Bay Inc. beef processing plant, the result of an incident in which an employee suffered crushing injuries to two fingers.
The agency has proposed JBS Green Bay, a subsidiary of JBS Foods USA, pay fines that total $227,786.
On June 13, OSHA cited JBS for four repeat violations, four serious violations and two less-serious violations discovered as it investigated a December 2022 incident in which the worker was injured while removing a shackle from a cow. The worker had two fingers amputated as a result of the injuries.
The investigation was conducted at the beef processing plant at 1330 Lime Kiln Road and a nearby JBS facility at 300 Lime Kiln Road between December 2022 and May.
"Unfortunately, injuries to workers in the meat processing industry are common, but they can be prevented when required safety procedures are followed," said Robert Bonack, OSHA's Area Director based in Appleton, in a news release. "JBS Foods is well aware of these typical industry hazards and of their legal obligation to provide employees with a safe and healthful workplace."
Details of the citations and investigations show JBS corrected several of the violations during the inspections in which they were identified.
JBS has 15 days from the date of the citations to contest the citations, pay the fines and correct the violations, or discuss the citations with OSHA, which could lead to revised fines and correction deadlines. If JBS does not contest the fines in writing by July 6, the order becomes final.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette has contacted JBS for comment.
Serious violations include narrow access points to work stations, missing metal guards on machines
Inspectors on March 1 found walkways to two operator stations were less than 11 inches in width, a violation of requirements that employees be provided a safe means of access to and from work stations. The violation included a proposed fine of $9,822.
Inspectors on Jan. 6 found employees faced a potential fall hazard in trying to access the top of a wash cabinet via an unevenly spaced top rung. The violation included a proposed fine of $12,278.
Inspectors on March 1 saw an employee change a saw blade without verifying the machine was disconnected from its power source. The violation was corrected during the inspection and included a proposed fine of $9,822.
Between Jan. 6 and March 8, inspectors found five instances in which metal guards meant to protect workers from moving machine parts were not properly attached to the machines or were not properly secured. The violations were corrected during the inspections and included a proposed fine of $9,822.
Repeat violations include 11-foot fall hazard, lack of proper guards for machines
Three of the four repeat violations OSHA investigators were deemed serious while the fourth was a repeat, non-serious violation. These violations were previously identified during inspections of the Green Bay plant in October 2019 and or during a 2020 inspection of another JBS facility in Cactus, Texas.
Employees at the JBS plant at 300 Lime Kiln Road faced an 11-foot fall hazard when they used a ladderway hole to access a beef wash cabinet, which was not equipped with an offset or self-closing gate. The violation was corrected during the inspection and includes a proposed fine of $61,391.
Inspectors on Dec. 23 and Jan. 6 found a waste auger conveyor and a transfer station did not have proper guards or protections in place that would protect operators and employees from hazards like pinch or nip points. The violation was corrected during the inspections and includes a proposed fine of $61,391.
Inspectors on March 1 found three instances in which metal band saws that exposed an employee to potential injury did not have proper protective guards in place. The violations include a proposed fine of $61,391.
Inspectors on March 1 and 8 identified electrical outlet and junction boxes did not have required covers on them, a repeat, non-serious violation that JBS corrected during the inspections. The violations include a proposed fine of $491.
Other-than-serious violations focused on labeling, availability of safety data sheets
Inspectors on Jan. 6 found the label on a spray pump container that held hazardous chemicals had fallen off because it was not suitable for wet environments. The violation was corrected during the inspection and included no proposed fine.
Inspectors on May 10 found copies of safety data sheets for acids sprayed or used in the trolley wash were not accessible to employees, as required. The violation included a proposed fine of $1,378.
OSHA previously cited, fined JBS Green Bay over COVID outbreak
OSHA's investigation of working conditions at JBS Green Bay comes three years after regulators investigated JBS and other Green Bay area meatpacking plants over complaints working conditions led to outbreaks of COVID-19 traced to the facilities.
In October 2020, OSHA fined JBS nearly $14,000 for failing to protect workers from the coronavirus, finding employees worked in close proximity to each other and that the company "did not develop and implement timely and effective measures to mitigate the spread." Almost 350 cases of COVID-19 were linked to JBS's Green Bay plant and two workers died from the virus.
JBS and another meatpacking company, Swift Beef Co., in May 2022 reached a settlement with OSHA to resolve investigations of multiple JBS and Swift facilities related to the pandemic. The two companies agreed to pay a $14,502 penalty to OSHA.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: OSHA fines JBS Green Bay plant $227K for hazardous working conditions
