Texas Meat Packing Plant Faces $615.6K in Penalties for Safety Violations

A meat packing plant in San Angelo, Texas, has been cited for exposing workers to highly hazardous chemicals and faces more than $615,000 in penalties.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited 7 S Packing LLC – operating as Texas Packing Company – for exposing workers to hazardous chemicals and other safety violations, and imposed $615,640 in penalties.

OSHA determined that the meat packing facility failed to implement a required Process Safety Management (PSM) program for operating an ammonia refrigeration unit containing over 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. The employer also failed to provide fall protection, guard machines and equipment, control hazardous energy, and implement a respiratory protection program.

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 independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source: OSHA