Koch Foods has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for nine alleged serious safety violations at its poultry plant in Morton, Mississippi.
According to a news release from the agency, investigations took place at the plant after learning that two workers were injured there. The incidents under investigation included one worker suffering a laceration to his right finger after his glove got caught in a conveyor, and another worker breaking two fingers after her hand contacted a rotating shaft in an attempt to unjam gizzards inside a chiller.
Among the citations against Koch Foods are:
- Failure to ensure proper procedures were followed to prevent machinery from starting-up during maintenance or servicing.
- Failure to protect employees from falls up to 18 feet.
- Not providing machine guarding on equipment.
- Not providing standard railings on stairways.
- Failure to protect workers from electric shock due to corrosive chemicals leaking on outlets.
Koch Foods, the fifth largest broiler company in the United States, faces $88,632 in proposed fines in connection to the citation. The company has 15 business days to comply or contest the citations.
