Pan-O-Gold ordered to pay $260,000 fine after injury at Sun Prairie plant

The company that owns a commercial bakery in Sun Prairie will be fined more than $260,000 following a federal investigation into the injury of a worker at the plant.

According to OSHA, Pan-O-Gold Baking Co. cited for two repeat workplace safety violations, along with six “serious violations” and two “other than serious” violations.

It is the second time since 2019 that the agency has investigated injuries at the company’s Village Hearth plant in Sun Prairie. In 2023, a worker was injured while adjusting a sensor in a bread pattern forming machine, according to OSHA. The company allegedly failed to report the damage as required.

The repeat violations relate to machine safety practices, while the six serious and two other violations relate to employee training, machine monitoring, hand protection and injury reporting.

In a statement, OSHA Area Director Chad Greenwood in Madison said the Sun Prairie worker’s injury was “life-changing” and could have been prevented by Pan-O-Gold if the company had followed required safety procedures that would have stopped the machine. unexpected” startup.

“This worker and his family now face an uncertain future and the personal and financial hardships associated with sustaining debilitating injuries and being unable to return to work,” Greenwood said.

OSHA investigated amputations and lacerations at the Sun Prairie facility in 2019. From 2020 through 2022, OSHA found that Pan-O-Gold’s injury rate was 160 percent higher than the industry average.

Pan-O-Gold did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OSHA says the company has 15 business days to comply or challenge the agency’s findings.