Violations of permit confined spaces safety regulations led to the death of a worker, 23, on June 19, 2014, at a producer and distributor of food products. The worker was found unresponsive in a tanker truck at the facility. He was conducting sampling of the tank, which contained egg products and nitrogen. OSHA has cited the company for five serious safety violations, including exposing employees to nitrogen hazards. OSHA’s inspection found that the facility failed to prevent employees from entering permit-required confined spaces. Related to this failure, the company did not ensure that emergency services were proficient in confined space rescues and that appropriate equipment for a confined space rescue could be used to perform one quickly. The company did not:
- train workers on the health hazards related to atmospheric chemicals in the workplace;
- failed to evaluate respiratory hazards for employees sampling from nitrogen-filled tanks; and
- did not ensure employees wore appropriate eye protection when exposed to corrosive liquids.
The company operates five farms that raise chickens for egg production at the company’s plant. The company’s other facilities have been inspected by OSHA five times, which resulted in serious violations. This was the first inspection at this facility. OSHA has proposed fines totaling $30,900.
I am hopefully awaiting a copy of the citations.
