Creekstone Farms Premium Beef has been cited by federal inspectors and is accused of exposing workers to the potential for a catastrophic release of ammonia at its Ark City plant.
The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleges that 20 serious violations were discovered during an inspection in December. Creekstone faces $130,000 in proposed penalties.
"The workers were not protected from the hazards of a catastrophic release of ammonia from the facility’s refrigeration system," Charles Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo., said. "There is no excuse for the company not to address this issue quickly and sufficiently to ensure the safety and health of its workers and the surrounding community."
Violations include a lack of worker participation and training of system operators, inadequate process hazard analysis of hazardous consequences and system controls, inadequate refrigeration system operating procedures to prevent and control a catastrophic ammonia release, inadequate refrigeration system emergency procedures to respond to a catastrophic release and evacuate all plant workers, and inadequate mechanical integrity throughout the refrigeration system to prevent equipment malfunctions.?
An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm can result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists, according to a prepared statement from OSHA.
The repeat violation stems from a failure to provide machine guarding to protect employees from amputation hazards created by rotating and moving parts of a saw. In addition, machine guarding was not adequate for dumpers or packing machines, according to OSHA.
A repeat violation is issued when an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facilities in federal enforcement states within the last three years.
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Wichita, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
