OSHA Penalizes Hudson County Biz With $107K Fine After Warehouse Worker’s Death

Jersey City, NJ – The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has slapped a Hudson County food manufacturer with a $107,000 proposed penalty after worker suffered a fatal, 24-foot fall at the company’s warehouse last year.

According to an OSHA news release, the federal agency initiated an inspection of Wei-Chuan U.S.A. Inc.’s Amity Street food distribution warehouse on Dec. 27, 2015, after the Jersey City Police Department notified the agency of a worker’s death.

During their investigation, OSHA inspectors found that a 60-year-old warehouse supervisor died after falling 24 feet from a top-tier warehouse rack, and that the company allegedly “knowingly allowed forklifts to elevate employees on pallets as they conducted inventory.”

“The agency found the serious violations were due to employees being allowed to improperly climb warehouse racks, lack of hand protection while handling hazardous materials, electrical hazards, hazard communication deficiencies and lack of forklift training,” OSHA stated.

OSHA cited the company with a willful violation for its failure to use an approved platform for raising employees on forklifts, and failure to provide fall protection.

The citations can be viewed here.

“Hazard communication training deficiencies resulted in the repeat citation, for which OSHA cited Wei-Chuan previously in February of 2011,” the agency stated.

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