BATON ROUGE – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited a Diversified Foods and Seasonings manufacturing facility in Madisonville, Louisiana for 25 serious and one other violation for exposing workers to hazardous chemicals, electrical dangers and fall hazards.
The citations include multiple violations of OSHA’s process safety regulations, the agency said.
OSHA discovered the problems during an inspection of the plant in October 2015, when an ammonia leak forced the evacuation of the plant. Proposed penalties total $124,000.
Diversified Foods produces soups, sauces and cooking mixes, in addition to frozen and refrigerated dishes for retail and foodservice operations under the Chefs Creation line. The company operates three manufacturing facilities in Madisonville and Theodore, Alabama, and Nebraska City, Nebraska. The company employs 270 workers with 60 workers at the Madisonville facility.