Meat-rendering company where worker died fined by OSHA

KUNA, Idaho (AP) - The owner of an Idaho meat-rendering plant where an employee died earlier this year has been fined more than $63,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Darling Ingredients, which uses animal products to create ingredients for pharmaceutical, food, pet food, fertilizer and other industries, owns the Kuna, Idaho plant as well as facilities in Tampa, Florida and Bastrop, Texas. The federal agency said the fine was because the company failed to develop, implement and document procedures for maintaining a meat grinder at all three plants.

One of the grinders lacked a barrier guard, which is used to keep employees away from dangerous parts of the machine, according to the agency's report.

OSHA officials haven't revealed how the worker at the Kuna plant died. The U.S. Department of Labor has declined to comment on the matter because the case is still under investigation.

Darling Ingredients has until June 18 to appeal the fine. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.