The U.S. Department of Labor announced it has cited and fined Chinese Spaghetti Factory Inc. — a Boston food processing plant — for not installing required safety guards on a dumpling machine’s rotating shafts. The company had been cited for the same issue in 2022 after an employee suffered serious injuries due to that hazard.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted a follow-up inspection in March 2023 to verify that Chinese Spaghetti Factory had corrected the unsafe conditions identified in 2022. OSHA proposed an additional $82,500 penalty for failing to correct the hazard and further found several new and recurring hazards, leading to citations and a proposed $108,031 in penalties for:
- Willfully allowing the dumpling machine’s gears to remain unguarded with two employees working in close proximity to the hazard.
- Exposing employees to electrical shock and injury risk from unguarded electrical components and unguarded operating parts of a forming and filling machine. OSHA cited the company for similar infractions in 2022 and 2019.
- Lacking a program/procedures to prevent unintended activation of grinders, choppers, and forming and filling machines during sanitation and maintenance.
- Exposing employees to high noise levels with incomplete hearing protection.
- Inadequate eyewash facilities for employees working with corrosive cleaners.
- An incomplete chemical hazard communication program.
The DOL release states that, since 2017, OSHA inspections have identified 10 serious, repeat and other-than-serious violations at the Chinese Spaghetti Factory’s location. In total, the company faces $190,541 in proposed fines for its recent uncorrected, recurring and new hazards.
