Why Did OSHA Fine a Logistics Contractor Running a Hershey Plant?

• By: Staff Editor
• Date: April 06, 2012

Hershey owns Eastern Distribution Center III, a vast plant in Palmyra. The chocolate company hired Exel, a logistics contractor that has operations in 511 facilities in the United States and Canada, to run the plant. Exel in turn hired a subcontractor, SHS Staffing Solutions that hired foreign students as temporary workers to pack chocolates. Following a six-month investigation, OSHA Director fined Exel USD 283,000 for job safety violations.

This article details the reasons why the contractor was fined and the best practices that should have been followed to avoid similar violations.