Smithfield: OSHA Violations and Fines, Denison IA

Since 2015, OSHA inspectors have visited Smithfield in Iowa 2 times.

The most recent inspection opened on May 23, 2018 on a referral, in Mason City.

In all, OSHA issued 4 citation items: 2 serious and 2 other-than-serious.

The penalties, $11,990 in total, stand where OSHA first set them.

The rule cited most here is 1910.147 (lockout/tagout), 2 times.

Among manufacturing employers, the typical cited inspection since 2015 ends with a $4,874 penalty. Smithfield averages $5,995 across 2 cited inspections.

Smithfield also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.

Smithfield: OSHA citation items per year, 2015 to 2018 — Citation items per year, by inspection date.

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Inspection history

Inspection 343184974 OPENED MAY 23, 2018Closed

Referral · Partial · Safety · 242 employees at the site · Closed Jul 24, 2018

1401 S Eisenhower Ave, Mason City, IA 50401 · Meat Processed from Carcasses · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps

Incident on Apr 11, 2018: Employee amputates thumb tip in multi-vac machine

At 8:30 a.m. on April 11, 2018, Employee #1 was called to assist in the repair of the Multi-Vac machine. A coworker was working on the machine and had the power locked out, but the air was still connected to the machine, but was reversed to attempt to clear the jam. When Employee #1 came to the machine, he reached into the machine to attempt to move the mold bucket. His thumb became caught between the bucket and the sealing head, because the air lines were still connected. The employee's thumb was smashed, resulting in a crushed avulsion. Employee #1 was transported to a nearby hospital, where surgery was performed to amputate the tip of his left thumb.

Citation and rule	Type	Proposed	Current	Issued	Status
Citation 1, item 1a 29 CFR 1910.36(g)(2) · Exit route design	Other-than-serious	$4,009	$4,009	Jun 22, 2018	Final
Citation 1, item 1b 29 CFR 1910.157(c)(1) · Portable fire extinguishers	Other-than-serious	$0	$0	Jun 22, 2018	Final
Citation 1, item 2 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i) · Lockout/tagout	Serious	$6,681	$6,681	Jun 22, 2018	Final

Inspection 340619923 OPENED MAY 7, 2015Closed

Referral · Partial · Safety · 1,600 employees at the site · Closed Aug 11, 2015

800 Industrial Drive, Denison, IA 51442 · Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps

Citation and rule	Type	Proposed	Current	Issued	Status
Citation 1, item 1 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(6) · Lockout/tagout	Serious	$1,300	$1,300	Jul 9, 2015	Final

Injury and illness logs

From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.

In 2025, the Denison site logged 54 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 1,042 workers: 4.2 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 3.7 for its industry. Those cases cost 49 days away from work.

Site and year	Workers	Cases	Days-away cases	Rate	Industry median
Smithfield Denison · 2025	1,042	54	8	4.2	3.7
Smithfield Mason City Iowa Mason City · 2020	204	14	3	5.5	3.7
Smithfield Denison Denison · 2019	1,472	54	1	3.2	3.7
Smithfield Mason City Mason City · 2019	242	9	2	3.3	3.7

The rules behind these citations

Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.

29 CFR 1910.147 · Lockout/tagout

29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i)

(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(d)(6)

(6) Verification of isolation. Prior to starting work on machines or equipment that have been locked out or tagged out, the authorized employee shall verify that isolation and deenergization of the machine or equipment have been accomplished.

29 CFR 1910.157 · Portable fire extinguishers

29 CFR 1910.157(c)(1)

(c) General requirements. (1) The employer shall provide portable fire extinguishers and shall mount, locate and identify them so that they are readily accessible to employees without subjecting the employees to possible injury.

29 CFR 1910.36 · Exit route design

Other animal (except poultry) slaughtering employers in Iowa

Tyson Foods, Inc. Council Bluffs · 19 citations · $38,082
JBS Swift & Company Marshalltown · 22 citations · $60,802
Seaboard Triumph Foods Sioux City · 33 citations · $148,422
Iowa Premium, LLC Tama · 20 citations · $94,237
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. Waterloo · 102 citations · $331,590
Smithfield Packaged Meats Carroll · 5 citations · $28,222

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.

Smithfield: OSHA inspections and violations