Nebraska businesses face thousands of dollars in fines from U.S. Labor Department for multiple violations
By Barbara Soderlin / World-Herald staff writer
Nov 8, 2017
The U.S. Department of Labor has fined a Nebraska grain cooperative and placed it in a special enforcement program after a May 4 incident in which a worker was partly trapped in a grain bin in Raymond.
Separately, the department cited a Bellevue commercial bakery for worker safety violations, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday. The companies have 15 business days to address the violations and comply with the penalties or to contest the findings.
Dorchester-based Farmers Cooperative faces nearly $374,000 in proposed penalties for a total of seven violations, and has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. OSHA said the co-op has previously been cited for a similar violation at a facility in Talmadge. Farmers Cooperative has 60 locations in Nebraska and Kansas.
Investigators for the May incident in Raymond determined that a worker entered a bin to clear soybeans while an auger was running. The worker was engulfed in soybeans up to his chest.
“It is well-known throughout the industry that entering a bin is extremely dangerous, especially while the auger is operating,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kimberly Stille, in Kansas City.
An official at the cooperative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
In Bellevue, the Bimbo Bakeries USA plant faces more than $122,000 in proposed penalties after investigators cited it for six violations after a June 6 inspection.
The alleged violations included lack of machine guarding, failing to provide fall protection and using a damaged electrical panel box. OSHA said it has cited the company before for similar hazards at other locations.
Pennsylvania-based Bimbo Bakeries USA, with more than 60 bakeries, is a division of Mexican baking company Grupo Bimbo. Its brands include Sara Lee, Oroweat, Entenmann’s, Thomas’ and Boboli.
In a statement to The World-Herald, the company said: “The safety of our associates is a top priority at Bimbo Bakeries USA. We are currently reviewing the citation issued by OSHA ... and expect to respond to the agency in the coming days.”