Purina feed mill workers exposed to falls, grain dust and machine hazards

Employer name: Land O Lakes Purina Feed LLC, doing business as Purina Animal Nutrition
414 E. 18^th St., Wichita, Kansas

Citations issued: March 31, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Wichita Area Office cited Land O Lakes Purina Feed LLC for three serious, one repeat serious, and one repeat other than serious violations. The citations are the result of an October 2015 OSHA investigation.

The inspection found:

• Workers exposed to fall hazards 6-10 feet from ladderway floor openings and platforms lacking guardrails.
• Employees exposed to grain dust explosion hazards. The employer failed to implement housekeeping procedures to prevent grain dust accumulation in priority and non-priority areas. In some areas, more than 5 inches of dust had accumulated.
• Workers exposed to dangerous sudden machine starts as the company failed to inspect and test energy control procedures annually as required.

Quote: “Falls are one of the leading causes of death in the workplace,” said Judy Freeman, OSHA’s area director in Wichita. “To help employers, OSHA offers a Stop Falls online resource with detailed information in English and Spanish on fall protection as well as other safety standards.”

Proposed Penalties:  $40,200

View Citations here.

Purina Animal Nutrition LLC, is a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Land O Lakes Purina Feed LCC is based in Gray Summit, Missouri.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Wichita Area Office at 316-269-6644.

OSHA is encouraging employers to participate in the 2016 National Safety Stand Down to prevent fall hazards. This year’s event will take place from June 2-6. More information can be obtained by visiting https://www.osha.gov/stopfallsstanddown.