Appetizers And, Inc. of Chicago was slapped with $172,350 in penalties by OSHA following an April inspection into workplace safety and health practices at the facility.

Appetizers And, Inc. employs more than 600 workers in Chicago and has had three previous OSHA inspections resulting in citations for violations of personal protective equipment requirements, lockout regulations and hazard communication standards, among others.

Most recently, OSHA alleged serious violations of workplace safety standards in the areas of electrical hazards, machine guarding, training issues and obstructed exit routes.

Willful violations were alleged against the firm for failing to protect against accidental energizing of machines, and for failing to train workers in energy control. Failure to lockout machinery from accidental energizing is a major cause of workplace amputations and other serious injuries.