ABBOTSFORD, WIS. ‒ Meat and sausage processor Abbyland Foods Inc., Abbotsford, Wis., faces $277,472 in penalties following two incidents that left employees with serious hand injuries.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company for 17 violations.

The first incident occurred in December 2022, when an auger on a meat processing machine cut off the top of a 37-year-old worker’s finger, according to OSHA.

A month later, a sliding guard on a trash compactor crushed a 23-year-old worker’s hand.

Following the report of the injuries, OSHA expanded its inspection under the Wisconsin Food Manufacturing Industry Local Emphasis Program. More than 70 Abbyland employees were interviewed across all shifts at the facility for the two investigations.

The agency stated that before the most recent inspection, it had cited the company with 22 serious violations since 2013 and previously proposed more than $56,000 in penalties.

“After a decade of citations for nearly two dozen serious violations, Abbyland Foods continues to ignore its legal responsibility to ensure a safe and healthful work environment,” said Robert Bonack, area director OSHA in Appleton, Wis. “Their long history of failing to protect its employees needs to end.”

Abbyland can request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission or comply within 15 business days.

The company began operation in 1977 and has a custom meat processing plant and retail store in Abbotsford. The company has more than 1,000 employees in eight divisions that manufacture a variety of cooked meat products and traditional fresh and smoked sausage products.