BREAKING! Agriprocessors Cited For 31 New And Repeat Safety Violations – Second Largest Fines In Iowa History

What company has the largest Iowa-OSHA fines in history?

Agriprocessors. Those fines came earlier this year.

The AP reports:

Iowa meatpacking plant cited for safety violations
By NIGEL DUARA, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa meatpacking plant that was the site of a large immigration raid this spring was accused Friday of 31 new and repeat safety violations, state labor officials said.

The Iowa Division of Labor Services proposed fining the Postville plant $101,000 for 21 serious violations, six repeat offenses and four non-serious violations.

The Agriprocessors plant was the site of a separate May 12 federal immigration raid that led to the arrest of nearly 400 people, making it the largest single-site raid in U.S. history.

The citations announced Friday stem from a July 8 inspection by the Division of Labor Services that alleged safety and health violations throughout the plant. Among the citations were claims of improper storage and covering of cutting equipment, improperly stored compressed gas cylinders and fixed staircases in unsafe conditions.

The 31 violations follow a combined 39 violations found in November 2007 and February 2008 inspections.

Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for the state labor agency, said the proposed fine is the second-largest in the past year — behind another Agriprocessors citation in March for $182,000. The state later reduced that fine to $42,750.

"It's certainly a large amount for any one sitting," Koonce said.

Earlier this month, a separate state labor investigation led to allegations that Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher meatpacking plant, employed dozens of underage workers. The state attorney general has not decided whether to file charges against the company

Agriprocessors has 15 days to respond to the state's latest allegations. A company spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

And this from Iowa's Department of Labor press release:

…The Iowa Division of Labor initiated a follow-up safety inspection on July 8, 2008 at the Postville operation. Thirty-one citations were issued, including twenty-one serious and six repeat violations.

Serious violations included failures to provide safety railings on raised work platforms, failure to properly store compressed gas cylinders, improper use of temporary wiring and failure to properly guard moving equipment.…

[Hat Tips: Sage, state of the Jews, C-Girl.]

Comments

[emes]

TO SCOTT YM"S: I PROMISE YOU THAT THE RUBASHKINS & ALL THEIR WORKERS WILL NOT GO TO GEHENUM FOR ANY "SLAVE LABOR", "CHILD LABOR" "UNDERPAYING" EMPLOYEES, OR ANY OF THE STUPID ILLEGAL THINGS YOU WROTE ON THIS BLOG. BUT YOU, MAY YOUR NAME BE ERASED, WILL GO TO GEHENUM (OR WORSE) FOR BEING CHOTE U'MACHTE -YOU SINNING (B/C OF YOUR BIG EGO) AND CAUSING OTHER PEOPLE TO SIN WITH AVEROIS INCLUDING LOSHAN HORA & SINAS CHINAM.

[IHAVENOTHINGSUBSTANTIALTOSAYSOIMTYPINGMYNONSENSEINALLCAPS]

The caps lock button is to the left of the "A" on the keybord. All you have to do is tap it to turn it off.

[Jason]

There they go again, hiding behind loshon hora to excuse any wrongdoing on the part of the "religious". What about slandering Shmarya, that's ok?

You "promise" that the Rubashkins will not go to "gehenum" for engaging in slave labor or any of the other "stupid illegal things" reported on this blog? You have quite a respect for the law. If only we all had your sense of certainty. You must be a very holy man with a direct line to G-d. The kind of man who doesn't waste his time playing around on the internet. Isn't the internet prohibited for you guys anyway? Blame Shmarya again, for inducing you to go online, and if you happen to stumble on a porn site, then blame Shmarya for being chote u'machte for that too. In fact, blame everyone but the ones who deserve the blame to begin with.

[sage]

The most disgusting thing in the first post is that the "schmuck" called himself "emes."

[Isa]

Regarding the poster 'emes'
The shill fund must be running low

[yidandahalf]

To gentiles they play the anti-semitism card and among us its the moser or loshon hara cards. Never varies, you can depend upon it.
Now that Petzel Boy's daddy cut his mouse off, the real brains are out. Think of it, they have all shabbos to sharpen their wits. Come Sunday after their brisket and cholent fests they will be ready for serious dialogue. Oh Jesus.

[rebitzman]

++I PROMISE YOU THAT THE RUBASHKINS & ALL THEIR WORKERS WILL NOT GO TO GEHENUM FOR ANY "SLAVE LABOR", "CHILD LABOR" "UNDERPAYING" EMPLOYEES, OR ANY OF THE STUPID ILLEGAL THINGS YOU WROTE ON THIS BLOG.++

Ah....so you're saying it's gonna be a variation of "Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200"?

[isabel]

Be careful emes, your real religion is showing!

[state of the Jews]

"THE RUBASHKINS & ALL THEIR WORKERS WILL NOT GO TO GEHENUM FOR ANY "SLAVE LABOR", "CHILD LABOR" "UNDERPAYING" EMPLOYEES, OR ANY OF THE STUPID ILLEGAL THINGS"

You seem to admit they are guilty of these charges, but won't go to jail because of them. Nice to see you think they are guilty.

Gut Shabbos to all!

[I. Haftah Rubcrotchskin]

If only rav Getzel would return here and explain all these new anti-Semitic allegations and schmears.

We push our starving beaks into the air, mouths open, the whole nest of babies cheeping plaintively, waiting for the mother buzzard to return with our food, which for us are the little Pravda piroshki Getzele was so adept at crafting. An envelope of heavy dough for the unwary reader to choke on, and the filling has to date always been pure schmeck.

Getzele, meine Getzele, wherefore art thou, Getzele?