(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Federal workplace safety officials have recommended Chicago-based Tootsie Roll Industries pay a more than $136,000 fine after an employee lost part of a finger at a plant in the city.
The U.S. Department of Labor faults the employer for having inadequate guarding on a bag-sealer machine, which closed on the finger of a 48-year-old worker and partially amputated it.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the factory at 7401 S. Cicero Ave. in April and determined the employee tried to remove stuck paper debris when the bag sealer's jaws closed.
OSHA issued one willful violation for inadequate machine guarding and proposed $136,532 in penalties.
"Employers must never put profits before people. When they do and fail to meet their obligations to keep workers safe, we will take action to hold them accountable," OSHA Chicago South Area Director James Martineck said in a news release posted Tuesday.
The company has 15 days to contest the fine, OSHA said.
