Industrial safety roundup: OSHA fines Aerojet Rocketdyne, Keystone Food, and Brazilian Stone Design
Workplace safety remains a top priority for OSHA, especially within the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Recent rulings and penalties demonstrate the agency’s ongoing efforts to hold employers accountable for maintaining safe environments. With increased inspections and enforcement activity, manufacturers must remain vigilant in their compliance efforts. This roundup highlights recent rulings and what they suggest about future compliance expectations.
Brazilian Stone Design LLC (Powder Springs, Georgia)
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Brazilian Stone Design LLC $33,000 after determining the company exposed workers to unsafe levels of respirable crystalline silica. The Powder Springs, Georgia-based manufacturer, which fabricates and sells kitchen and bathroom countertops, received seven serious citations following an inspection.
According to OSHA, the company allegedly exposed employees to high airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica and failed to require the use of respirators. The agency also found that Brazilian Stone Design did not perform proper respirator fit testing and training, conduct required air monitoring, or administer an effective hearing conservation program.
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Keystone Foods (Camilla, Georgia)
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Keystone Foods $16,550 for allegedly failing to protect employees from fire and explosion hazards at its poultry plant in Camilla, Georgia. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., was cited for a serious violation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause.
On December 26, 2024, two workers at the facility were seriously burned when a hose filled with oil ruptured, creating an oil mist that ignited and caused a fire and explosion in the boiler room. OSHA inspectors determined the company did not ensure that employees followed internal procedures or the boiler pump manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines.
Keystone Foods has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace Inc. (Orlando, Florida)
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined Aerojet Rocketdyne Coleman Aerospace Inc. $262,451 after a December 2024 fire at its Orlando, Florida, facility left two employees hospitalized and injured others. The company, which manufactures target missiles, was cited for one willful and six serious violations.
OSHA investigators determined that two employees suffered severe burns and another sustained injuries from burns and smoke inhalation while working on a missile component. Additional workers were also exposed to hazards due to improperly stored and handled explosives and the failure to classify the physical hazards of a highly reactive chemical.
Aerojet Rocketdyne has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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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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