The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the operator of a Boston area food plant for repeat violations after inspectors said the business failed to implement measures designed to protect workers from machine hazards.
OSHA on Monday announced it cited Chinese Spaghetti Factory Inc. and proposed an additional $82,500 in penalties on top of $108,031 in fines the company previously received relating to safety guards on a dumpling machine’s rotating shafts, a failure that OSHA said led to a worker’s serious injuries in 2022.
Regulators sent out to reinspect the food plant found several new and recurring hazards, according to OSHA.
The company was cited for willfully allowing the dumpling machine’s gears to remain unguarded, repeatedly exposing employees to the risk of electrical shock from unguarded electrical components, failing to implement procedures designed to prevent the unintended activation of machines, and failing to institute a hearing conservation program for workers who are exposed to high noise levels.
OSHA said it identified 10 serious, repeat and other-than-serious violations at the company’s Braintree, Massachusetts, location since 2017.
The company has 15 business days to contest the citations and proposed penalties.