JBS Green Bay Facing $227k in OSHA Fines After Worker Amputation Incident

June 21, 2023

Inspectors found inadequate machine guarding, fall and electrical hazards, and other infractions during its investigation of the December 2022 injury.

Andy Hanacek

The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited JBS Green Bay Inc., a subsidiary of JBS USA, for four repeat violations, four serious violations and two “other-than-serious” violations, and proposed more than $227,000 in penalties for the infractions.

Inspectors were responding to an investigation of a December 2022 employee injury, in which a worker suffered crush injuries to his right index and middle fingers while removing a shackle from a cow on a trolley line. The injury resulted in the employee having both fingers amputated.

During the investigation, however, inspectors found multiple worker safety hazards at the plant, including inadequate machine guarding to prevent pinch points along the trolley line, according to a release from the Department of Labor. Other infractions were related to lockout/tagout, fall and electrical hazards, and hazard communication.

JBS has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.