OSHA Inspection: BEL BRANDS USA

Issued

Feb 5, 2018

Abate by

Mar 2, 2018

Penalty

Initial $6,282 · Current $6,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1): One or more methods of machine guarding was not provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are-barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc.    (a)Bel Brands USA, Inc. at 811 32nd Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006: On and prior to December 8, 2017, the employer did not ensure that employees were protected from rotating parts associated with the rotating discharge plate of the tumbler drum when manually cleaning the chutes. On December 8, 2017, an employee suffered a partial amputation to the right index finger after it was determined that the tumbler failed an Adenosine Triphosphate Test (ATP) and the production employee continued cleaning the chute near the point of operation while the machine was in the Clean-in-Place (CIP) mode. This condition exposed an employee to an amputation injury due to a caught-in-between hazard.