MELROSE PARK, Ill. – Kerry Inc., a leading supplier of food ingredients, faces $86,942 in proposed penalties after two employees suffered severe injuries while working at the company’s plant in Melrose Park, Illinois, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Dept. of Labor reported.

The company received citations for one repeated and two serious violations. On Aug. 17, a 52-year-old worker was clearing material in the bread crumb conveyor when the machine’s cyclone pulled his left hand into the machine, causing an amputation. About six weeks later on Sept. 27, a 57-year-old man suffered multiple fractures to his forearm when a mixing blade of a dough machine rotated unexpectedly, OSHA said.

Additionally, investigators with OSHA found the company failed to conduct periodic inspections of machine lockout/tag out procedures, and document and use written energy control procedures when servicing machines.

OSHA noted the agency cited Kerry for similar hazards in 2011 at the company’s Flemington, New Jersey facility.

Based in Ireland, Kerry is a leading supplier of food and beverages to consumers in 140 countries. The company has 24,000 employees worldwide. Kerry’s US headquarters are in Beloit, Wisconsin.