A snack foods company in New Jersey agreed to settle workplace safety citations levied by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). J&J Snack Foods Corp. and OSHA reached a region-wide settlement agreement to improve workplace safety at their eight different food manufacturing and warehouse facilities in New Jersey and New York.

They were cited in September 2018 after it was determined they exposed employees to serious machine hazards, with willful and repeat citations for failing to train employees and utilize procedures to control hazardous energy when they perform servicing and maintenance work on machinery. They agreed to pay a $152,934 penalty.

In addition to the penalty J&J Snack Foods agreed to hire a full-time corporate safety director, a full-time site-safety manager and an outside safety and health consultant to conduct two safety and health inspections per year and implement a written safety and health program consistent with OSHA’s best practices guidelines. They will also provide employees with safety and health training in a language they understand, and establish a safety and health committee comprised of employees, union representatives and managers to recommend further safety and health improvements.

“This settlement shows the Department’s enforcement efforts leading to positive changes on important safety issues,” said Regional Solicitor Jeffrey S. Rogoff, in New York. “A repeat violator with a history of safety problems related to machine hazards took responsibility and is improving those conditions across the region, beyond the violations identified by a single inspection at a single facility.”

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