Wisconsin food processor fined $161,000 for exposing workers to hazards

A Wisconsin pet food manufacturer exposed employees to the risks of explosions, fires and long-term respiratory illnesses from excessive amounts of airborne dust, federal workplace inspectors found.

The findings follow an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration at Strauss Feeds LLC in Watertown in February 2024 after the agency received complaints about unsafe working conditions.

OSHA inspectors found that the company’s poor maintenance, its failure to assess premises for dust hazards and the absence of engineering controls to reduce dust created serious combustible and airborne dust hazards. The agency also determined that Strauss Feeds failed to develop a written respiratory protection program that included medical evaluations, fit testing, monitoring and training workers to recognize dust hazards.

“Unsafe levels of dust in the air can ignite suddenly, causing explosions and fires that endanger worker safety. Left unchecked, these same dust hazards can cause long-term health problems for workers,” explained OSHA Area Director Chad Greenwood in Madison, Wisconsin. “Companies that manufacture products that create excessive dust particles must use highly effective engineering systems and respiratory protection programs to protect employees from injury.”

OSHA also noted that workers were exposed to hazards from walking and working surfaces, falls, confined space, and operating industrial trucks and forklifts when combustible dust hazards were present, increasing fire and explosion risks.

Inspectors cited Strauss Feeds for 19 serious violations and five other non-serious health and safety violations. OSHA assessed the company $161,332 in proposed penalties.

Founded in 1875 as a small, water-powered mill on a farm in North Manchester, Indiana, Strauss Feeds today produces milk replacers for calves and other young animals. The company is in its sixth generation of family ownership.

Source: OSHA

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Wisconsin