OSHA Cites Texas Bakery Following Finger Amputation

Lone Star Bakery Inc., a private commercial bakery that employs about 500 workers, has been cited by OSHA for 32 serious, one repeat, and 16 other-than-serious violations following following a finger tip amputation incident on the pie processing line and multiple inspections at two of the company’s facilities in China Grove.

Proposed penalties total $229,400 for violations that include exposing workers to combustible dust, fall and electrical hazards, among others.

Inspections were conducted as a result of a fire that occurred from excessive buildup of bread materials in the ovens and following a report that employees were exposed to excessive levels of noise while unprotected by a hearing conservation program.

The serious violations include failing to ensure that employees were protected from falls; to clean combustible dust from workroom floors and other surfaces; to cover drain openings; to ensure that exits were free from obstructions and unlocked; and to ensure electrical deficiencies were corrected.

The repeat violation is failing to ensure that a metal junction box was permanently mounted in accordance with the listing and labeling required by the manufacturer. Lone Star Bakery was cited for a similar violation following a 2006 OSHA inspection that resulted in total penalties of $78,300.

Other-than-serious violations include failing to record each work-related injury or illness case that met general recording criteria, and complete an incident report form for each work-related injury or illness case that met the general recording criteria for both locations from 2007 to 2010.

Source: OSHA