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OSHA proposes fines for Wegmans safety violations

OSHA has cited Wegmans for repeat safety violations at its central bakeshop in Gates, NY. The federal safety agency is proposing a total of $140,000 in fines after officials say that a worker who was cleaning a conveyor belt and roller last December got her hand caught in the machine and suffered broken bones in her hand and arm.OSHA's area director, Mike Scime, said this was not the first time something like this has happened at that facility. In fact, earlier this year, Wegmans paid OSHA just over $150,000 in fines because of similar violations in recent years at that central bakeshop.

Scime says the fines are meant to get the supermarket company to make sure employees there are properly trained. “When employees are doing maintenance and in this case cleaning a conveyor belt, the power needs to be turned off,  it needs to be locked out so it’s not inadvertently turned on and would operate and potentially injure employees which in this case is exactly what happened.”

Wegmans issued this statement: “Even one injury to an employee is one too many. We care about our employees and want them to be safe. Maintaining a safe workplace and creating a culture of safety everywhere is one of our top priorities. The current rate of workplace accidents at Wegmans is the lowest in our history.”  

Wegmans has about two weeks to comply, meet with OSHA's area director or contest the agency's findings before an independent commission.