GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Poultry processor KD Acquisition I LLC, doing business as Coleman Natural Foods, was cited with 11 safety violations and faces potential fines of $187,000, according to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The agency said it investigated the company’s KD4 processing plant after receiving a complaint in September 2011 about safety hazards. The investigation revealed two repeat violations which included allowing untrained workers to assist with and perform conveyor belt adjustments and operating the conveyor belt without machine guards that would protect against rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Similar violations were found at the company’s KD5 plant in Braselton, Ga., in 2007. Each violation carries a penalty of $70,000.

OSHA also found eight serious violations which included failing to:

• provide adequate safety protection against anhydrous ammonia;
• train workers on proper handling of hazardous materials;
• provide written logout/tagout procedures to shut down the energy sources of equipment;
• perform complete lockout/tagout procedures when servicing or maintaining equipment; and
• conduct annual inspection of procedures to verify accuracy.

OSHA said workers were exposed to a number of electrical hazards. The agency found damaged wiring on a rooftop hoist, an electrical panel cabinet that required employees to work near energized parts when resetting electrical relays and electrical receptacles in wet and damp locations. Finally, workers were exposed to fall hazards such as stairs located close to an unprotected roof edge.

OSHA cited the company’s Braselton plant in January for eight violations, which carried $142,150 in fines.