Rana Meal Solutions makes Italian food products out of a pair of manufacturing plants in Bartlett, Illinois.
Yesterday, OSHA, for the third time in five years, cited the company after it found the maker of ready-made pasta sauce and meals failed to prevent workers from coming into contact with moving machine parts.
The latest incident stems from a report that an employee suffered a finger amputation while trying to find a piece of a broken ball valve lodged in a hot pasta sauce line.
OSHA Area Director Jacob Scott put it bluntly, "[Rana's] failure to follow industry and federal safety standards led one worker to suffer a painful, disfiguring injury."
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Part of the frustration is the result of Rana's history, which includes problems OSHA uncovered in 2019 and 2020 in which inspectors found that the company exposed workers to the risk of severe injuries because it ignored federal safety requirements to make sure machines are guarded or fully de-energized before they are maintained or serviced.
This time, the pasta maker was cited for two repeat and a dozen serious violations and assessed $272,792 in proposed penalties.
OSHA found a slew of issues as a result of the investigation. On top of failing to fully de-energize equipment during service and maintenance, the company also failed to periodically inspect lockout procedures (which it was cited for three years ago) and stored chemicals improperly.
The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference or contest the findings.
