Imperial Settles with OSHA as Company Strives to Be Leader in Industry Safety

Imperial Settles with OSHA as Company Strives to Be Leader in Industry Safety

John Sheptor, CEO and Chairman of Imperial Sugar.

Imperial Sugar Company’s (ISC) settlement with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) now positions the company to focus even more on improving workplace safety and driving its best practices across the food-processing industry worldwide.

“Imperial Sugar is pleased to resolve the citations,” said CEO and President John Sheptor. “Imperial agreed to the terms with OSHA in order to settle these matters expeditiously and amicably, and to allow us to better concentrate our resources toward not only enhancing the safety of our own facilities, but also to assist the sugar industry as a whole in addressing workplace hazards.”

Imperial Sugar was cited by OSHA in July 2008 for alleged safety violations at its Port Wentworth and Gramercy, La., facilities with a combined proposed penalty totaling $8.7 million.

As ISC rebuilt its Port Wentworth operations after a deadly explosion and fire, Sheptor led the company in creating an industry model for better worker safety, improved food-quality processes and greater manufacturing efficiencies.

Since the OSHA citations were issued, Imperial Sugar has worked with leading experts to collect and develop, through testing and other research efforts, information about the hazards of combustible dust specific to the sugar industry.

Ronald Allen, Sr. Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Sheptor noted: “Imperial’s extensive studies have guided us in implementing new hazard controls as we rebuilt our Port Wentworth facility as well as our existing facility in Gramercy.”

Ron Allen, senior director of environmental health and safety, is among the hundreds of leaders and employees at ISC’s refineries in Port Wentworth and Gramercy who’ve worked side-by-side to develop new standards and raise performance levels – benefiting the company and the sugar industry alike.

Allen, who also is the company’s chief safety officer, says Imperial Sugar’s efforts and solutions over the past couple of years have involved several areas, including:

  • Improved engineering controls: ISC conducted thorough studies comparing its operations against National Fire Protection Association Standards – done with the support of globally recognized experts in the field of combustible dust.
  • Stronger administrative controls: The company introduced new housekeeping procedures, as well as preventative maintenance, to ensure that conditions don’t develop that could lead to a combustible dust explosion.
  • Rigorous employee training: Imperial Sugar developed professionally recognized, computer-based training modules on combustible dust, which didn’t exist previously.

“We have learned much from our experts and our own studies regarding combustible dust, and we are sharing our knowledge throughout the industry to help others to be aware of the hazards of combustible dust,” Sheptor says.

Port Wentworth silo relief panels.

The results of ISC’s research and initiatives continue to be shared with global sugar manufacturers and trade associations, as well as with ISC customers – many of whom handle combustible food materials in their own business.

Allen is quick to point how Imperial Sugar collaborated with OSHA officials in striving to raise industry safety standards for manufacturers by promoting a new combustible dust standard for OSHA, along with spreading the word through public forums for improvements.

Sheptor commended OSHA for its dedication to worker safety, and reiterated Imperial Sugar’s commitment to adhering to and exceeding its obligations under the OSH Act. “We are working diligently to become our industry leader in workplace safety.”

Reinforced packaging walls at Gramercy plant.

Reflecting on everyone’s dedication and diligence, Allen says: “When we do our work, often times it’s really in memory in those who lost their lives and in our commitment to not allow that to happen again.

“So, the progress we’ve made at Imperial is, in a large part, a tribute to the memories of whose lives were lost or were injured.”

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