McCleskey Mills Inc. has been cited by OSHA for 28 safety and health violations for exposing workers to amputations, falls and other safety hazards. The agency initiated the February 2014 inspection at the peanut processing plant in Rochelle after receiving a complaint. Proposed penalties total $72,553.

"McCleskey Mills cannot continue to expose its employees to these hazards and must immediately address the lack of safety controls," said Robert Vazzi, director of OSHA's Savannah Area Office. "An effective safety and health management system would have identified these hazards and corrected them."

Missing railings, moving parts

The serious violations were cited for exposing workers to fall hazards due to missing railings on platforms, stairs and ladders, failing to protect workers from moving parts of machines during repairs and servicing, and for blocking an exit by installing a piece of sheet metal in front of a door. Additionally, the employer failed to provide workers with personal protective equipment or have an emergency eyewash station or shower located adjacent to work areas that required them. McCleskey was cited for four additional safety violations with no monetary penalties assessed.

McCleskey Mills processes and provides raw, shelled peanuts to manufacturers and customers in the United States and abroad. McCleskey employs 70 workers at this facility and approximately 200 workers nationwide.

#Stopfalls

OSHA has created a fall prevention Web page at http://www.osha.gov/stopfalls with detailed information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards. The page offers fact sheets, posters and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures.

Georgia work fatalities

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, fatal work injuries in Georgia accounted for 101 of the 4,383 fatal work injuries reported in 2012. Additional details are available at http://bls.gov/iif/home.htm.