OSHA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 2/23

The OSHA Enforcement Roundup gives you insight into how and why OSHA assesses penalties for workplace safety & health noncompliance.

All violations or claims discussed below are alleged only unless we say otherwise, and we withhold the names of organizations and individuals to protect their privacy.

Your OSHA Enforcement Roundup for this week:

A wood pellet and animal bedding manufacturer faces a $147,542 penalty for alleged safety violations related to an explosion.

The manufacturer was cited for willful and serious safety violations after an explosion at the company's facility in July 2025. An investigation was initiated on July 29, 2025, following the explosion that caused fatal injuries to a worker.

OSHA cited the company for alleged violations including:

• Combustible dust buildup,
• Lack of fall protection for employees working at heights greater than four feet, and
• Failure to ensure equipment within the facility was protected from creating an ignition source.

An Idaho transformer manufacturer faces a $986,888 penalty for alleged safety violations related to equipment and fall hazards.

OSHA says inspectors determined that the company exposed employees to hazards like those identified during two 2024 inspections involving cranes with faulty brakes and switches used to handle heavy loads.

The Agency cited the company for 53 serious and repeat violations, including failure to guard machinery, exposing workers to fall hazards, and failure to provide personal protective equipment.

A commercial bakery in Ohio faces $394,849 in proposed penalties for alleged violations related to machine hazards.

The commercial bakery was cited after an OSHA investigation determined the employer had allegedly exposed workers to unsafe working conditions, including chemical, caught-between and caught-in, pinch-point, and struck-by hazards.

OSHA also cited the employer for three repeat violations for failing to train workers on lockout/tagout procedures, failing to lock out and tag out machines, and failing to guard dangerous machines.

In total, the Agency cited the bakery for three repeat violations, nine serious violations, and one other-than-serious violation.

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Tags: combustible dust, fall prevention, fall protection, lockout tagout, machine guarding, osha enforcement, OSHA Enforcement Roundup, PPE