Finger Amputations Draw Fine For Lakewood Ice Cream Company: OSHA

Lakewood NJ

17 March, 2021

3:48 PM

Description

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood ice cream company faces a $237,176 fine after investigators say the company "willfully failed" to take steps to protect employees making repairs after two incidents where workers lost fingers, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced. Two workers suffered "severe amputation injuries" on an ice cream wrapper machine at the Fieldbrook Farms manufacturing plant in Lakewood, one in 2018 and the second in 2020, the OSHA announcement said. In 2018, a sanitation worker lost a fingertip and fractured a second finger when his fingers got caught while repairing jammed equipment. OSHA fined Fieldbrook Farms $103,476 over the incident. A maintenance mechanic lost two fingers in 2020 while repairing the same machine, the OSHA report said. A September 2020 investigation found Fieldbrook Foods willfully failed to shut down and isolate energy to the machine during repair work. The refusal to shut down the machine violated safety standards for preventing accidental machine startup, a process known as lockout/tagout, OSHA said. Fieldbrook Farms employs about 200 workers in Lakewood. A message requesting comment from Wells Enterprises, the parent company of Fieldbrook Farms, was not immediately answered. "Fieldbrook Foods knew that machines must be completely disabled before workers perform service and maintenance," said Paula Dixon-Roderick, area director for OSHA. "Instead of addressing the cited amputation hazards which led to two serious injuries, the company continues to expose its workers to dangerous machinery." Fieldbrook Foods Corp. produces and sells frozen desserts under the Blue Bunny, Blue Ribbon, Original Bomb Pop and other brands. The company is the largest privately held, family-owned ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913 in LeMars, Iowa, Wells produces more than 150 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products in all 50 states. OSHA's announcement said the company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings. Click here to get Patch email notifications, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email [email protected] Follow Lakewood Patch on Facebook.