Terrell’s Potato Chip hit with $115,500 fine for repeated safety violations

06-Jan-2014 - Last updated on 07-Jan-2014 at 08:46 GMT

Terrell's Potato Chip Company has been charged with 23 safety violations

Mid-sized snack player Terrell’s Potato Chip Company faces $115,500 in fines for new and recurring ‘serious’ safety hazards at its New York production plant.

The Snack Food Association (SFA) member has been charged with 23 violations of workplace safety following an inspection back in June by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Safety violations include a lack of safety covers and/or guardrails to protect employees from machinery and other hazards, locked emergency exits and obstructed routes, exposed live electrical wiring and unlabeled hazardous chemicals, among others.

“The sizeable fines proposed here are the result of finding new and recurring hazards,” said Christopher Adams, OSHA’s Syracuse area director.

“It’s not enough to correct hazards. For the safety and well-being of its workers, an employer must take effective steps to ensure that hazards, once corrected, don’t reappear.”

Terrell’s Potato Chip Co. must pay the fines within the coming weeks or choose to contest findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Terrell’s: Most, if not all, violations corrected

Jack Terrell, owner of Terrell’s Potato Chip Co., told BakeryandSnacks.com that he had no further comments to make beyond his interview with local newspaper the Post-Standard.

In this interview, Terrell said: “We’ve already taken care of most of the issues. Most, if not all, have been corrected.”