OSHA has inspected Biery Cheese Co. 9 times in Ohio since 1983.
The latest one began on Jan 3, 2020 on a referral, in Louisville.
Those inspections ended with 7 citation items: 5 serious and 2 other-than-serious.
Penalties were first proposed at $24,289 and now stand at $21,419, 12% lower after settlements or reviews.
Lockout/tagout comes up most often in these citations: 2 items under 1910.147.
How that compares: the median penalty per cited inspection for manufacturing employers since 2015 is $4,874, and Biery Cheese Co. averages $9,547 (2 cited inspections).
Biery Cheese Co. also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.
It reported 6 severe injuries to OSHA since 2015.
Citation items per year, by inspection date.
Ohio · latest 90 days of OSHA records
273employers cited
Get notified the morning OSHA posts each new citation in Ohio: the employer, the site address, the rules broken and the penalty.
Incident on Dec 23, 2019: Employee amputates thumb while servicing energized cheese sl
At 5:15 p.m. on December 23, 2019, an employee working as a maintenance technician for a cheese manufacturer was servicing a cheese slicer machine. While the employee worked on the slicer a coworker (machine operator) started the machine. The machine was not locked out at the time and the employee caught his right thumb in a gear and sprocket. The employee partially amputated his thumb and was hospitalized.
No citations from this inspection.
Inspection 344501689 OPENED DEC 10, 2019Closed
Complaint · Partial · Safety · 420 employees at the site · Closed Apr 19, 2021
Incident on Jun 6, 2018: Employee fractures hip in fall
At 9:00 a.m. on June 6, 2018, Employee #1 was operating a powered pallet jack. As he rounded a corner, he struck a skid of material. The employee fell to the ground and fractured his hip. He was hospitalized for treatment.
No citations from this inspection.
Inspection 341906386 OPENED NOV 9, 2016Closed
Complaint · Partial · Safety · 568 employees at the site · Closed Nov 16, 2016
From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.
In 2025, the Louisville site logged 13 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 430 workers: 3.1 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 4.2 for its industry. Those cases cost 17 days away from work.
Site and year
Workers
Cases
Days-away cases
Rate
Industry median
Biery Cheese Company
Louisville · 2025
430
13
8
3.1
4.2
Biery - Louisville
Louisville · 2024
430
15
7
3.8
4.2
Biery Cheese - Louisville
Louisville · 2023
477
18
8
3.9
4.2
Biery Cheese Company Louisville
Louisville · 2022
447
17
5
3.9
4.2
Included with any plan: 7 more yearly logs from these sites, back to 2016, with each site's average rate over its latest three years. Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Employers must report any work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization or loss of an eye to OSHA within 24 hours. 6 reports on file.
Dec 23, 2019, Louisville: Amputation · amputations · fingertip(s)
An employee was working on the grippers on a cheese slicer. The employee's right thumb was caught between the pulley and the tooth belt. The tip was amputated.
An employee's right ring and little fingers were caught in a swinging door with a self-closure hinge. Both fingertips were partially amputated.
Jun 6, 2018, Louisville: Hospitalization · fractures · hip(s)
An employee was operating a ride-on pallet jack, turned a corner and struck a stack of pallets. The injured worker was operating a powered industrial vehicle on the opposite side and was struck. The injured employee sustained a fractured hip.
Jun 16, 2016, Louisville: Amputation · amputations · fingertip(s)
An employee was working on the heart filler machine. The liner was out of adjustment, so the employee attempted to readjust it. The gate then closed on her finger, amputating her right index fingertip.
An employee was performing preventive maintenance on the conveyor leading to the robot packer. He removed the chain drive guard to lubricate the chain; the chain was running at the time. While trying to replace the guard after finishing, he dropped a bolt near the sprocket. When he went to retrieve the bolt, the chain and sprocket caught the end of his right index finger, amputating the fingertip.
The rules behind these citations
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
(i) An employer may provide respirators at the request of employees or permit employees to use their own respirators, if the employer determines that such respirator use will not in itself create a hazard. If the employer determines that any voluntary respirator use is permissible, the employer shall provide the respirator users with the information contained in appendix D to this section (“Information for Employees Using Respirators When Not Required Under the Standard”); and
(4) Energy control procedure. (i) Procedures shall be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees are engaged in the activities covered by this section.
29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(a)
(A) Each authorized employee shall receive training in the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control.
Alert subscribers get notified of each newly cited employer in Ohio the morning it is posted. See the alert plans.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.
