Sam Kane Beef Processors, headquartered in Corpus Christi, employs about 700 workers. The violations resulted from two OSHA inspections, a safety inspection that began April 1 and a health inspection that began April 30.
The company was cited with 17 alleged serious violations including failing to implement elements of the Process Safety Management Standards for Highly Hazardous Chemicals, failing to implement lockout/tagout procedures to stop and secure the energy source, failing to provide employees with personal protective equipment, and failing to protect employees from exposure to corrosive materials. The proposed safety penalties totaled $40,275.
The Process Safety Management Standard must be followed by facilities that utilize certain thresholds of hazardous chemicals. It requires the training of workers and an analysis of potential hazards and how to correct them.
The company also was cited for nine alleged serious health violations for exposing employees to a high level of noise, failing to follow bloodborne pathogens standards, and failing to properly fit test employees with respirators.
A serious violation is one in which the hazard could cause death or serious physical harm to employees and the employer knew or should have known about it.