An Illinois frozen pizza maker has been awarded $2.8 million in proposed fines by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a worker died while cleaning the company’s machinery.
OSHA announced Thursday that it cited Gurnee-based Miracapo Pizza Co. for 16 willful gross violations, one willful violation and 12 serious violations after a casual employee died during an overnight shift in December.
The worker was cleaning a spiral conveyor used to cool pizza when her head got caught in the machinery.
The company was accused of failing to train temporary workers on how to stop equipment from moving before cleaning was carried out.
The citation came a month after another sauce dump maintenance worker at the same facility suffered an amputation, prompting $290,1
91 in separate proposed fines. Another employee suffered a partial finger amputation in October 2021.OSHA said the company failed to implement proper lockout/tagout procedures designed to isolate energy during equipment service, failed to install adequate machine guards, exposed workers to the risk of electric shock and other violations.
Separately, OSHA issued a summons for two willful and two serious violations against GDI Services Inc., a contractor providing sanitation services to Miracapo Pizza. Among other things, OSHA said GDI failed to train workers in safety procedures in a language they understood.
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