Following a federal investigation into a severe hand injury suffered by an employee at an Omaha, NE, beef processing plant in June 2023, more than a dozen severe and willful violations were identified by Department of Labor (DOL) officials.
DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that the worker, assisting a forklift operator at Nebraska Beef Ltd., had their fingertip caught in the forklift attachment, leading to a medically necessitated amputation three weeks later.
OSHA revealed the company’s failure to implement lockout/tagout procedures for hydraulic dock plates, lack of safety protocols for material handling and exposure of workers to live electrical parts. Nebraska Beef Ltd. faces two willful and 11 serious violations, with proposed penalties amounting to $274,569.
Nebraska Beef Ltd. processes and distributes USDA-graded Prime, Choice and Select products for sale by grocery stores, club chains, wholesale distributors and restaurants.
