Wisconsin Canning Facility Fined After Forklift Causes Serious Injuries to Seasonal Employee

March 29, 2021

OSHA is proposing $177,490 in penalties to Seneca Foods Corp. for safety violations related to forklift training and machine safety procedures.

Erin A. Hallstrom

Seneca Foods, a provider of packaged fruits and vegetables, is being cited for an accident that left a 60-year old seasonal employee seriously injured at the company's Ripon, WI facility. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the woman had been walking toward a pallet to label products for shipping.

A subsequent investigation led OSHA to propose $177,490 in penalties to Seneca Foods Corp. for two repeat and three serious safety violations involving forklift training and machine safety procedures at the canning facility.

During a November 2020 inspection, OSHA discovered another employee had suffered a fractured finger when it was caught in machinery that the company failed to lockout. OSHA cited Seneca Foods for similar violations in 2019 at its Gillett facility.

About the Author

Erin A. Hallstrom

Erin Hallstrom oversaw our digital content strategy for the Food Processing brand from 2008-2023. She is now the Associate Director of SEO Strategy for Endeavor Business Media, where she holds technical certifications in both website analytics and search engine optimization. Most recently, she was named the 2022 Marianne Dekker Mattera Award Winner.