Workplace safety regulators propose hefty fines against manufacturer with plant in Penns Valley
Federal workplace safety regulators proposed fining a large food manufacturer nearly $762,000 after investigators said they found dozens of safety and health hazards at its plant in Penns Valley.
The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleged 71 violations against Hanover Foods Corp., a business that regulators said has a history of hazardous workplace safety practices. All but 11 were either repeat or serious violations.
OSHA’s inspectors launched their probe in October after receiving a complaint about the company’s handling of highly hazardous chemicals, the department wrote in a statement Tuesday.
The investigation found numerous infractions, including lack of training, not correcting equipment deficiencies, failing to document that equipment complied with proper engineering practices and a failure to establish an emergency plan for the entire plant.
One violation could have exposed workers to chemical burns, while others found that workers could have been exposed to toxic and potentially deadly chemicals. The citations were issued April 10.
“Hanover Foods Corp. put its employees at risk of serious safety and health hazards by not complying with federal and industry-recognized safety standards at another of its facilities,” OSHA Area Director Kevin T. Chambers said in a statement. “We will use all of our resources to hold employers accountable when they neglect their legal duty to protect their workers from harm.”
Hanover, 3008 Penns Valley Pike in Potter Township, has until May 3 to either pay the penalties, request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings.
A woman who answered the phone at the plant on Tuesday said she believed the company said it would not comment about the citations. A voicemail was left with the plant manager.
OSHA cited the company in 2019 and 2021 for similar violations at one of its plants in Delaware. The company operates several other plants in Pennsylvania, as well as others in New Jersey and Guatemala.
U.S. workers suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and about 50,000 people die annually from causes related to chemical exposures, according to OSHA.
