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The Department of Labor has proposed a $103,000 fine against an Alabama sausage manufacturer after the plant failed to correct safety hazards identified during two previous inspections starting in 2022.

Dean’s Sausage Company was cited by Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators after it was found to be in violation of worker safety standards during a follow-up inspection in July 2024.

The inspection at the Attala facility found two serious violations and three repeat offenses found during previous reviews.

According to the department, the serious violations were the lack of electrical panel covers.

The repeated violations included the company’s failure to document and use machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures, failure to train employees in the lockout/tagout program, and failure to establish and implement a written hazard communications program for workers exposed to hazardous chemicals.

The initial investigation in December 2022 found that the sausage company had committed seven serious violations and seven other than serious violations. The violations included exposing workers to chemical hazards, electric shock and burns, and failing to ensure machines had proper safety features.

Inspectors returned in September 2023 and found similar violations, resulting in Dean’s Sausage Company receiving citations for nine repeat violations and two serious violations.

OSHA Area Office Director Joel Batiz in Birmingham commented on the investigation and the meatpacking plant’s failure to ensure worker safety.

“Putting employees at risk by neglecting safety is a reckless way to operate,” Batiz said. “Dean Sausage Company’s repeated disregard for worker safety shows that profits are prioritized over people.

The company must correct its troubling workplace safety deficiencies before an employee suffers unnecessary injuries or worse. The people who work there every day to put food on our tables deserve better, and we will continue to hold employers accountable until they make safety a priority.”

In addition to the proposed $103,000 fine from the July inspection, Dean’s Sausage Company was also cited for $109,823 during the 2022 and 2023 inspections.