With an increase in legal savvy among workers there has also come an increase in workplace safety and regulations. However, sometimes companies fail to adhere to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) recommendations and guidelines, or find it difficult to keep up with those regulations.
Whether or not Rana Meal Solutions LLC, a pasta manufacturer was just negligent in its application of those guidelines or was just not up-to-date on the latest regulations, they have now been cited for 12 serious violations of national safety standards and received $54,000 worth of fines. OSHA began their investigation after receiving a tip from workers at the manufacturing plant that they were working in a hazardous work environment and being exposed to unhealthy amounts of ammonia.
Of those 12 serious violations, eight of them revolve around the concerns related to the ammonia refrigeration process. Rana Meal Solutions has failed in properly addressing safety concerns as described in OSHA’s guidelines and has provided its employees and trainers with inadequate training to protect its workers properly. The facilities were also found to be lacking in emergency eye wash facilities and visibly accessible information regarding workplace safety and safety procedures when dealing with existing workplace hazardous materials.
The manufacturer also was cited for one minor non-serious violation when standing water was found on the facility’s floor. The citation was for a potential fall hazard being present without adequate signage and clean up to accompany it. Under OSHA policies, Rana Meal Solutions has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and fines to request an informal conference with OSHA’s are director or contest the investigation’s findings with an independent OSHA commission.
Source: ohsonline.com, “Pasta Manufacturer Cited for Ammonia Hazards,” Jan. 25, 2013
- For more information on North Carolina Workers’ Compensation resources due to a workplace injury or illness caused by a hazardous work environment, please feel free to visit our website.
