HK Cooperative Inc. (operating as J.H. Routh Packing Co.)
Outcome
J.H. Routh Packing Co. was cited for 43 OSHA violations and fined $528,441 after two workers were exposed to ammonia gas during refrigeration system maintenance at the Sandusky, Ohio pork processing facility, which employs 372 workers.
Details
HK Cooperative / J.H. Routh Packing Co. — Ammonia Exposure, 43 Violations, $528K Penalty (2023–2024)
Outcome: Two workers at J.H. Routh Packing Co.'s Sandusky, Ohio pork slaughtering facility required medical treatment for ammonia gas exposure during refrigeration system maintenance; OSHA cited 43 total violations including 40 serious, 1 repeat, and 2 other-than-serious, proposing $528,441 in penalties.
HK Cooperative Inc., operating as J.H. Routh Packing Co., runs a hog slaughtering facility in Sandusky, Ohio employing approximately 372 workers. During refrigeration system maintenance, two workers were exposed to ammonia gas and required medical treatment. OSHA opened inspections in December 2023 and January 2024.
Investigators found violations across virtually every major safety discipline at the facility: fall protection deficiencies, inadequate confined space entry procedures, lockout/tagout protocol failures for maintenance operations, electrical safety violations, PPE gaps, noise exposure hazards, missing emergency eyewash and shower stations in areas with chemical exposure potential, hazard communication plan failures, unmarked exits, machine guarding inadequacies, and unsafe walking surfaces and stairways. A repeat violation reflected prior citations in the bloodborne pathogen and electrical categories. OSHA noted this was "again" finding the company exposing workers to serious hazards and proposed $528,441 in penalties.
Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites Sandusky pork processing facility for 43 safety violations following workers' ammonia exposure
How Crucible Prevents This
Industrial ammonia refrigeration in pork processing facilities is a Process Safety Management-regulated system when quantities exceed threshold amounts. The breadth of the 43 violations — from ammonia confined space entry to fall protection to machine guarding — indicates a compliance culture that tolerates systemic deficiency. Crucible's program-level compliance mapping would identify all the intersecting regulatory obligations (PSM, confined space, lockout/tagout, PPE, HAZMAT communication) as a unified compliance matrix requiring simultaneous audit closure before any refrigeration maintenance work is authorized.
Don't let this happen to your organization. See how Crucible works.
See How Crucible Works