El Milagro of Texas Inc., a tortilla factory located in San Marcos, is facing more than $218K in fines after inspections by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health found that it’s exposing workers to risks of amputation and other serious injuries.
OSHA recently announced that it has proposed $218,839 in fines after the family-owned tortilla factory failed to follow hazardous energy control procedures, citing it for three repeat violations and four serious violations for failing to follow lockout/tagout procedures.
“More than half of workplace amputations involve some type of machinery, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Energy control and lockout/tagout procedures are vital to protecting workers in manufacturing facilities,” OSHA Area Director Casey Perkins said in a statement. “OSHA will hold employers accountable when they fail to comply with requirements to prevent worker exposure to dangerous hazards.”
OSHA also cited El Milagro for a repeat violation for failing to fit-test workers using respirators and a serious violation for not performing medical evaluations for respirator use. OSHA said it previously cited the company for the same violations in 2015 and 2018.
OSHA inspectors investigated El Milagro after workers complained of dangerous amputation hazards.
El Milagro has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
