Lakewood Ice Cream Factory Worker's Fingertip Cut Off: OSHA

LAKEWOOD, NJ – A Lakewood ice cream maker has been fined more than $100,000 after an employee had his fingertip severed while servicing a piece of equipment, federal officials said Monday.

Mister Cookie Face LLC, of Rutgers University Boulevard in the Lakewood Industrial Park, which manufactures ice cream novelties under the brands Woodlake Farms and Slender Rewards, was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for machine safety hazards in the incident, OSHA said in a news release. The company faces $103,476 in penalties.

The incident involved a sanitation employee, the OSHA release said. The worker suffered a fingertip amputation and a fractured finger when the machine started up while the worker was trying to remove a jam. The date of the incident was not immediately available.

OSHA said it cited the company for failing to lockout machines to prevent unintentional startup during servicing, for not ensuring employees used personal protective equipment, for 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 Paula Dixon-Roderick, OSHA Marlton area office director. "Employers who implement an effective safety and health program can ensure that workplace hazards are identified and corrected to prevent worker injuries or fatalities."

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, OSHA said.

The company, founded in 1992 by Frank “Doc” Koenemund, features a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing plant with an additional 12,000-square-foot warehouse. Mister Cookie Face has been a subsidiary of Fieldbrook Foods Corp. since 2011. It produces and packages quality ice cream pints, pies and novelty products for distribution throughout the country.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education, and assistance.

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Fieldbrook Farms/Mr Cookie Face via Google Maps