WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Labor fined Hostess Brands (TWNK.O) $298,000 on Friday for alleging safety and training errors at the bakery company led to a worker in Chicago being killed in December lost a fingertip.
The department said its investigation showed that the hostess could have prevented the amputation injury a 29-year-old worker sustained while reassembling a pump at a Chicago corporate facility.
Hostess could have prevented the injury by ensuring equipment is turned off and locked to prevent it from starting unexpectedly during maintenance, the department said in a statement.
The investigation was launched after the company, which makes popular snacks such as Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Donettes, reported the injury to the Labor Department.
A spokesperson for Hostess said on Friday that the company was reviewing the Labor Department’s allegations, but declined to comment further on “ongoing investigations.”
“The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority and we take all safety concerns very seriously,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The Labor Department alleged that Hostess “failed to ensure that shafts, gears, and moving parts of equipment … required surveillance to protect workers from contact with pinch points and moving parts.”
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has subpoenaed the company for one intentional violation, one repeated violation, and five serious violations. The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference, or contest the labor department’s findings.
“Employers can spare their employees these kinds of painful injuries by complying with OSHA and industry-recognized safety standards,” said OSHA official Sukhvir Kaur.
OSHA has cited Hostess for failing to protect worker safety and health in 12 inspections since 2018, and the agency also identified some of the previously identified hazards at the Chicago facility.
Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Kathrine Jackson in Washington; Edited by Aurora Ellis