- A worker lost a fingertip while working at a Hostess Brands facility, the Labor Department said.
- The injury was reported by the company last December.
- Federal investigators now say the company failed to provide workers with proper training.
The maker of Twinkies faces a nearly $300,000 fine after a worker severed his fingertip in manufacturing equipment at a facility in Chicago, an injury that federal investigators said could have been prevented.
In a letter this month to Hostess Brands, the US Department of Labor blamed the company for the incident, accusing it of failing to develop proper safety procedures that would ensure equipment does not restart while being worked on. According to the department, the worker’s amputation — reported by the company in December 2022 — occurred as they were attempting to reassemble a pump.
Inspectors with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration also accused the company of failing to secure other manufacturing equipment, such as dough mixers and wrapping stations, to safeguard against injuries.
“OSHA frequently finds that amputations and other injuries occur when manufacturers fail to make sure machine safety procedures are followed and employees are trained properly,” Sukhvir Kaur, a Chicago-area OSHA director, said in a statement.
In total, OSHA is accusing Hostess Brands of seven violations of federal safety standards, proposing civil penalties of just over $298,000.
A spokesperson for the company said it is “reviewing” OSHA’s allegations, which it has the option of contesting. “The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we take all safety concerns very seriously,” the spokesperson said.
Hostess Brands employs about 3,000 people and reported revenues of more than $345 million in the first quarter of 2023. The company was formed in 2013 after the previous manufacturer of Twinkies filed for bankruptcy.
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