OSHA cites Alabama meat processing plant for repeated safety violations
OSHA has cited Dean Sausage Company for repeated safety violations and proposed $103,245 in fines following a July 2024 inspection.
OSHA has proposed a $103,245 penalty against Dean Sausage Company Inc. following a July 2024 inspection at its Atalla, Alabama, facility. The agency found that the company had failed to correct safety issues identified during inspections in 2022 and 2023.
According to a recent press release, OSHA's most recent inspection found three repeat violations, including failure to follow proper lockout/tagout procedures, inadequate employee training on these procedures, and lack of a written hazard communication program for handling hazardous chemicals. Inspectors also found two serious violations for missing electrical panel covers.
This is the third time OSHA has cited the company for similar issues. The December 2022 inspection resulted in $109,823 in penalties for multiple safety violations, including unattended machinery, unsafe electrical installations and chemical hazards. A follow-up inspection in September 2023 found that the company had not corrected these deficiencies, resulting in additional citations.
“Putting employees at risk by neglecting safety is a reckless approach. “Dean Sausage Company’s repeated disregard for worker safety demonstrates that it is worryingly prioritizing profits over people,” Joel Batiz, director of OSHA’s Birmingham, Alabama, area office, said in a statement. “The company must address its troubling workplace safety deficiencies before an employee suffers an unnecessary injury or worse. The people who work there every day to put food on our tables deserve better, and we will continue to hold the employer accountable until they prioritize safety.”
Founded in 1955, the Dean Sausage Company produces and distributes sausage products throughout the southern United States. OSHA's investigation is part of a nationwide priority program aimed at reducing the risk of workplace amputations in manufacturing.
About the author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the content editor of Occupational Health & Safety.