Dean Sausage Company (not related to Jimmy Dean, a brand of Tyson Foods) located in Attalla, AL. has been fined $103,000 following an OSHA inspection. Investigators for the Agency cited the company for safety violations that exposed workers to hazards including electric shock, burns and hazardous chemicals.
Penalties were imposed after inspections in 2022 and 2023 for similar violations. During the spring of 2024 the company was fined $116,000 for seven repeat violations from the previous 2022 inspections. The most recent July evaluation determined that many ‘other-than-serious’ violations had not been corrected including failure to train employees or to document hazards relating to chemicals.
Surely the OSHA has the power to reduce danger to workers in plants adjudged to be serial violators. How bad does it have to become before serious injuries occur. Why does OSHA or a delegated state agency not have the power to close plants adjudged to be hazardous to workers? Who is minding the store?