Hanover Foods fined over $700,000 for exposing employees to chemicals at PA plant

( WJET/WJET ) — Hanover Foods has been hit with another round of penalties from the United States Department of Labor (DOL) after investigators said the company repeatedly exposed employees to hazardous chemicals.

Investigators from the DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) first began looking into Hanover’s Centre Hall plant in October 2023 after complaints were made about how the company was handling “highly hazardous chemicals.”

Hanover Foods produces glass-pack, canned, frozen, refrigerated, freeze-dried and snack food products, along with other private labels across five plants in Pennsylvania and one each in Delaware, New Jersey and Guatemala.

That investigation led to OSHA handing out 71 violations — including nine repeat offenses, 51 serious violations and 11 other than serious violations totaling $761,876 in penalties for Hanover Foods.

“Hanover Foods Corp. put its employees at risk of serious safety and health hazards by not complying with federal and industry-recognized safety standards at another of its facilities,” said OSHA Area Director Kevin T. Chambers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “We will use all of our resources to hold employers accountable when they neglect their legal duty to protect their workers from harm.”

Among the violations, OHSA found Hanover Foods did not supply proper training for handling hazardous materials; did not correct equipment deficiencies; failed to document that equipment complied with, recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices; and did not establish an emergency plan for the entire plant.

This isn’t the first time in recent years OSHA has fined Hanover Foods as they were cited for similar offenses at their Delaware plant in 2019 and 2021 OSHA said.

According to OSHA, workers suffer over 190,000 illnesses and about 50,000 deaths each year related to being exposed to chemicals across the United States each year.

Hanover Foods now has 15 days to comply with the citations, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the citations.

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