Zwanenberg agrees to pay $1.7M fine, make safety improvements in Cincinnati plant

Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
Zwaneberg Food Group building in Green Township in 2023.
Zwaneberg Food Group building in Green Township in 2023.

Green Township’s Zwanenberg Food Group USA has agreed to pay a $1.7 million fine and make safety improvements to its local plant to resolve multiple investigations by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The processed food supplier, which employs about 175 local workers, agreed to invest $1.9 million into the plant for additional safeguards after it received citations in September 2022 and April and December 2023 following the injuries of two temporary workers. Federal safety inspectors determined the company exposed workers to hazards by allowing machinery to operate without required safety guards during production and not ensuring equipment remained powered off when it was being cleaned.

Earlier story Cincinnati-area meat plant fined over second finger amputation in two years

The regulatory settlement is expected to be finalized during a June 13 meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

The company also agreed to make several safety improvements, including:

  • Enhance machine guarding.

  • Ensure each employee use locks during third-shift sanitation.

  • Develop and re-write lockout procedures for all equipment.

  • Train employees on the new machine safety procedures.

  • An analysis by an independent third-party auditor of all equipment. A third-party consultant must also audit all personal protective equipment, hazardous communication and lockout programs.

  • Meet with OSHA at least quarterly to discuss safety and health issues.

Zwanenberg is a subsidiary of Holland’s Zwanenberg Food Group, which has 12 production facilities in the U.S., Netherlands and United Kingdom. The company’s products includes cooked ham, chili, luncheon meat, soups, stew, corned beef hash and pastas marketed under brand names Vietti, Southgate, Halal and various private label brands.

“Zwanenberg Food Group has taken important steps to improve plant safety but the work of training new and existing employees on machine safety procedures to prevent injuries never ends,” said OSHA Area Director Ken Montgomery in Cincinnati.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meat processor Zwanenberg to pay $1.7M to settle OSHA investigation