Trade News Release
Wednesday, January 19, 2000
Contact: Bonnie Friedman
Phone: (202) 693-1999
Illinois agricultural producer settles safety and health
violations
ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND AGREES TO PAY $650,000 IN FINES,
CREATES NEW VP POSITION FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Co. agreed to pay $650,000 in penalties
for safety and health violations at its rail car repair facility in
Decatur, Ill., and to create a new corporate position of Vice President of
Safety and Health as part of a settlement agreement announced today by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"We are pleased that ADM has agreed to resolve this matter,"
said OSHA Administrator Charles N. Jeffress. "The company has already
corrected the most dangerous conditions involving serious hazards to its
employees who were working in confined spaces without proper equipment and
assistance. Even more encouraging is the company's willingness to improve
safety and health conditions at all its facilities nationwide."
ADM certified in the settlement that the conditions in the original
violations have been corrected and that the Vice President of Safety and
Health will be charged with corporate-wide authority and responsibility
for monitoring the working conditions throughout the company.
OSHA inspected ADM's rail car facility following an employee complaint
that workers were assigned to clean inside rail tank cars without an
attendant present. The confined spaces standard requires the presence of
attendants for the sole purpose of monitoring and protecting employees
working in a confined space. OSHA inspectors also found that employees
working inside the rail cars were wearing body harnesses without attached
retrieval lines. Those lines would allow for emergency rescue of employees
without exposing others to the confined space.
As a result of its investigation, OSHA cited the company on Dec. 2,
1998, for violations of the confined spaces and respiratory protection
standards, as well as inadequate storage of flammable and combustible
materials. Penalties of $1.6 million were initially proposed.
"By correcting the initial problem, and creating a new position
for oversight on safety and health, ADM has taken a significant first step
to improve the safety and health of its workers," Jeffress said.
"That tells us they are serious about eliminating safety hazards
while, at the same time, showing their employees that management is
committed to their welfare."
Under the settlement agreement, ADM will:
 | Establish and maintain a trained internal confined space rescue team
at the railcar facility. |
| Conduct annual internal safety and health compliance audits of its
railcar facility for the next three years. Results of those audits
will be provided to OSHA's area office in Peoria, Ill. |
| Retain an experienced independent consultant to conduct
"wall-to-wall" audits of the railcar facility in 18 months.
Following the audit, ADM will develop and implement a written action
plan to respond to the findings of the audit. |
| Make available at the railcar facility forms for employees to
complete (anonymously if they choose) regarding any safety concerns.
ADM will evaluate and consider all concerns or suggestions. |
| Review all written policies and procedures regarding confined spaces
within 30 days and modify such policies as necessary within 45 days.
The Vice President of Safety and Health will issue a corporate-wide
bulletin to all ADM's facility managers in the United States directing
them to assure their site-specific confined spaces policy, procedures
and practices are in full compliance with the OSHA standard. |
