OSHA has cited NJ-based Mister Cookie Face LLC for machine safety hazards, following an incident where an employee suffered an amputation. The company faces $103,476 in penalties.
Mister Cookie Face, Inc. manufactures ice cream novelties. The company offers stick novelties, sandwiches, cups, cones, sundaes, frozen shakes, frozen ice cream candy bars, specialty novelties, and holiday novelties. The company, founded in 1992, is based in Lakewood, New Jersey and operates as a subsidiary of Fieldbrook Foods Corporation.
According to the US Department of Labor, a sanitation employee suffered a fingertip amputation and a fractured finger when the worker attempted to unjam a machine and it activated. The report says "the company was cited by OSHA for failure to lockout machines to prevent unintentional startup during servicing, not ensuring employees used personal protective equipment, not providing an eyewash station where employees used corrosive chemicals, and for exposing employees to bloodborne pathogens hazards."
“This injury could have been avoided with worker training and the use of lockout/tagout procedures,” said OSHA Marlton Area Office Director Paula Dixon-Roderick. “Employers who implement an effective safety and health program can ensure that workplace hazards are identified and corrected to prevent worker injuries or fatalities.”