Ohio Pork Processing Plant Faces 43 Violations for Ammonia Exposure
A Sandusky, Ohio pork processing facility exposed workers to a release of ammonia gas, leading the U.S. Department of Labor to open two inspections and issue 43 violations of federal regulations.
Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened inspections at HK Cooperative Inc., operating as J.H. Routh Packing Co., in December 2023 and January 2024 after a local government agency notified OSHA that two workers suffered exposure to ammonia gas during maintenance of a refrigeration system.
Opened under the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for food manufacturing, the inspections identified a wide range of safety concerns for which OSHA issued 40 serious violations and two other-than-serious violations and one repeat violation. The company also received one repeat violation for exposing employees to amputation and other serious hazards due to inadequate point-of-operation guarding on a meat saw.
The agency has assessed J.H. Routh Packing Co. with $528,441 in proposed penalties.
Source: OSHA
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