A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the fatal fall of a contractor at a Robbinsville NJ frozen food manufacturer identified a wide range of potentially fatal workplace hazards at CJ TMI Manufacturing America LLC, leading the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue the employer citations for 36 violations and proposed $368,513 in penalties.
A contractor suffered fatal injuries in December 2021 when they fell 11 feet while using a scissor lift to replace a freezer drain. OSHA’s investigation found a damaged and inoperable snap hook on the lift’s safety chain and that the company did not inspect the lift before work began.
“CJ TMI Manufacturing America LLC could have prevented this tragedy had it followed proper safety precautions,” said OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick in Marlton, New Jersey. “The company must address and correct a substantial number of hazardous conditions identified during our inspection so that nobody else has to risk their life.”
OSHA also found the company exposed workers to:
- Amputations and lacerations from unguarded or inadequately guarded machinery.
- Explosion hazards from accumulations of combustible flour dust on equipment, floors and surfaces throughout the plant.
- Confined space hazards when entering a wastewater pit to service a water meter.
- Hexavalent chromium hazards during welding operations.
- Chemical burns from caustic chemicals due to inaccessible decontamination showers and eyewash stations.
- Being struck by forklifts operated by untrained employees.
- Numerous electric shock hazards.
View the citations. OSHA has placed the company in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
CJ TMI manufactures frozen dumplings, wontons, and noodles for the Twin Marquis and Chef One brands.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Recommended Citation: Gelman, Jon L., OSHA Fines Robbinsville NJ $368K for Scissor Lift Hazard, Workers' Compensation Blog, June 17, 2022), https://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/2022/06/osha-fines-robbinsville-nj-368k-for.html
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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne, NJ, is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters). For over five decades, the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have represented injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
Blog: Workers ' Compensation
Twitter: jongelman
LinkedIn: JonGelman
LinkedIn Group: Injured Workers Law & Advocacy Group
Author: "Workers' Compensation Law" Thomson-Reuters
