OSHA Inspection: RIVERSIDE FOODS, INC.

Issued

Sep 29, 2023

Abate by

Oct 30, 2023

Penalty

Initial $15,625 · Current $15,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.147(d): The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6):  a) On or about April 26, 2023, at an establishment located at 2520 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; an employee on Line 3 was exposed to machine hazards associated with the horizontal screw auger underneath the machine while they were engaged in cleaning activities on Breader #2. The employer did not ensure that production employees implemented energy control application steps prior to cleaning out breading material between the screw auger and the frame of the machine. A maintenance employee jogged the wire conveyor belt utilizing the hydraulic control valve which caused the screw auger to unexpectedly rotate, pinching the production employee's hand between the auger and the frame of the machine. The machine was not deenergized prior to the employee performing the servicing and/or maintenance activity.  b) At an establishment located at 2520 & 2511 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; sanitation employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts when they were engaged in cleaning and sanitation activities on machines such as, but not limited to, the breaders, wire-belt conveyors, batter mixers, Matrix Morpheus baggers, and the Yamato Omega Series Dataweigh multi-head combination weighers. The employer did not ensure that production employees implemented energy control application steps prior to cleaning out material inside of the machines. The machines were not deenergized prior to the employees performing cleaning activities.  c) On or about May 3, 2023, to May 8, 2023, at an establishment located at 2520 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; Bagger Operators were exposed to potential machine hazards associated with moving parts while doing maintenance and servicing activities such as, but not limited to, changing blades and unjamming film inside the Matrix Morpheus bagger machines. The employer did not ensure that Bagger Operators implemented energy control application steps prior to changing blades located inside of the jaws of the machine. The machines were not deenergized prior to the employees performing cleaning activities.   d) On or about May 3, 2023, to May 8, 2023, at an establishment located at 2520 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; Bagger Operators and packaging employees were exposed to potential machine hazards associated with moving parts while doing maintenance and servicing activities such as, but not limited to, cleaning, clearing jams, and aligning boxes and bags of product inside the cages of the Robex packaging robots. The employer did not ensure that Bagger Operators implemented energy control application steps prior to entering the hazard zone of the machines. The machines were not deenergized prior to the employees performing cleaning activities.   e) At an establishment located at 2520 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; production employees were exposed to machine hazards associated with moving parts when they were engaged in cleaning and sanitation activities on machines such as, but not limited to, the breaders, wire-belt conveyors, and batter mixers. The employer did not ensure that production employees implemented energy control application steps prior to cleaning out material inside of the machines. The machines were not deenergized prior to the employees performing cleaning activities.  As a result, the remaining applicable energy control elements, involving machine isolation [1910.147(d)(3)], lockout/tagout device application [1910.147(d)(4)], dissipation of residual energy [1910(d)(5)(i)], and verification of isolation [1910.147(d)(6)] were not implemented to protect employees from machine hazards.

Issued

Sep 29, 2023

Abate by

Oct 30, 2023

Penalty

Initial $15,625 · Current $10,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1): Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be 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.  f) On or about May 8, 2023, at an establishment located at 2520 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; Bagger Operator employees reaching into the front of the Matrix Morpheus bagger machine (Serial Number: SB19771) to retrieve bags of waste product were exposed to potential amputation and caught in hazards created by the belts, pulleys, cutting blade, and the continuous box-motion jaw and its carriage. The machine was not adequately guarded to prevent access to these hazards.   h) On or about May 1, 2023, to May 8, 2023, at an establishment located at 2520 Wilson Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin; Bagger Operator employees wiping down a plastic exit chute on the wire spiral conveyor belt were exposed to amputation hazards created by the chute and the approximate 1-inch end links on the belt. The machine was not adequately guarded to prevent access to these hazards.

Issued

Sep 29, 2023

Abate by

Oct 30, 2023

Penalty

Initial $11,162 · Current $4,000 Reduced

General-duty citation text

1910.305(g)(1)(iv)(B)  Where run through holes in walls, ceilings, or floors;  Employees were exposed to electrical shock hazards when an extension cord was used to power a Mettler Toledo Scale on the mezzanine level. The cord ran through the walkway, fed into a hole in the floor, and was plugged into an outlet on the ground level on the side of one of the Matrix Morpheus bagging machines.