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The company has 15 business days from receipt of citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Corpus Christi Area Office or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
On Dec. 2, 2010, OSHA's Corpus Christi Area Office initiated a safety and health inspection at the company's facility on Leopard Street. The company, which employs about 800 workers in Corpus Christi, slaughters cattle and processes beef at the facility.
According to OSHA, serious violations include failing to ensure the safe and proper use of step ladders, to keep floor surfaces free of water to prevent slipping or sliding and to provide an adequate and timely emergency response plan for night shift workers. A serious violation is one in which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
A repeat citation was issued for failing to provide guardrails for work areas more than four feet above the ground. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. In March 2010, the company was cited for a similar violation with penalties of $2,250.
