Beef processing plant fined $275K for willful and serious safety violations following worker’s amputation
An OSHA investigation has determined that Nebraska Beef Ltd. failed to protect its workers from numerous safety and health hazards. The investigation began after a worker suffered a serious hand injury last year while trying to help a forklift operator position materials at the facility. The employee’s fingertip became caught in the forklift attachment and an amputation was required three weeks later.
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The beef processing plant was cited for two willful and 11 serious violations. These violations include failing to implement lockout/tagout procedures, a lack of safety protocols for material handing, and exposing employees to live electrical parts. The company will have to pay $274,569 in proposed penalties.
In a recent quote, OSHA Area Director Matthew Thurlby said, “An employee of Nebraska Beef Ltd. suffered a permanent injury because the company knowingly ignored safety measures that are meant to prevent this very type of incident. The company must reassess its safety training and procedures immediately to keep other employees from suffering needless injuries.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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