Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa: 2,207 cases from 44 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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What for?
by topicWho?
by company- Alco Harvesting LLC dba Bonipak Produce Inc. und verbundene Unternehmen €5.22m 35 % · 1 case
- Anonymised companies €3.66m 25 % · 3 cases
- Risham Nominees Pty Ltd (Centenary Bakehouse) €2.07m 14 % · 1 case
- Taylor Farms New Jersey Inc. €974,951 7 % · 1 case
- Samworth Brothers Limited €691,518 5 % · 1 case
- Midri, Inc. (Restaurant J BBQ, Los Angeles) €584,046 4 % · 1 case
- Valenti's Bakery LLC €364,172 2 % · 1 case
- IPMF LLC (NaturPak) €311,703 2 % · 1 case
- Maple Lodge Farms Ltd. €309,578 2 % · 1 case
- JBS Australia Pty Ltd €187,170 1 % · 1 case
- 6 more€417,037
When?
per year, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | €2.14m |
| 2024 | 3 | €2.39m |
| 2025 | 5 | €1.77m |
| 2026 | 11 | €9.1m |
21 cases
4 Sep 2026 Samworth Brothers LimitedSamworth Brothers: £594,000 after two workers scalded at steam line €691,518
At the Kettleby Foods plant in Melton Mowbray, an employee and a contractor were scalded with hot water while replacing a leaking gasket on an isolation valve of a steam line (burns to 4–5 % and 9 % of their body surface respectively). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the task had neither been assessed nor documented as a safe system of work, isolation and lock-off procedures had not been applied, fall protection was missing and supervision was inadequate. Following a guilty plea, a fine of £594,000, plus £6,000 compensation for the injured employee, costs and a victim surcharge.
Maintenance on steam and pressure lines requires a written isolation and lock-off procedure that is supervised on site.
Isolating and locking off equipment during maintenance (lockout/tagout)
- Authority / court
- Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 2 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 16 Sep 2026
Original amount 594,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Sep 2026.
- Food manufacturing giant fined £594,000 after two workers scalded at Melton Mowbray site (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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3 Sep 2026 SSM Investments LimitedTakeaway operator SSM Investments: 90,000 NZD penalty for worker exploitation €45,501
The restaurant and takeaway business with branches in Auckland and Cromwell did not pay five employees the minimum wage, denied holiday, public holiday and sick pay, made unlawful deductions from wages and kept no accurate wage, time and leave records. After the Employment Relations Authority (ERA, New Zealand's employment tribunal) had already ordered arrears of 147,001 NZD, it imposed a penalty of 90,000 NZD against the company following an investigation by the Labour Inspectorate (labour standards enforcement unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment). Measures against individuals are not set out here.
Minimum wage, holiday pay and proper time records are mandatory.
Minimum wage, holiday pay and permissible wage deductions
- Authority / court
- Employment Relations Authority (Verfahren des Labour Inspectorate, MBIE)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Mitigating circumstances
- The company acknowledged its wrongdoing.
- Liability of senior managers
- Measures against individuals are not set out here.
- Published
- 3 Sep 2026
Original amount 90,000 NZD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 3 Sep 2026.
- Employment New Zealand (MBIE): Restaurant and owner fined $130,000 for exploiting workers (03.09.2026) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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27 Aug 2026 Maple Lodge Farms Ltd.Poultry processor Maple Lodge Farms: CA$500,000 after CO2 leak without gas detection system €309,578
In March 2024, a CO2 hose on a vacuum mixer ruptured in the deli area of the plant in Brampton; around 16,000 pounds of carbon dioxide escaped and one worker suffered life-threatening injuries. There was no CO2 sensor with an alarm. Following a guilty plea, a fine of CA$500,000 plus a 25 % victim fine surcharge.
Wherever refrigerant or inert gases are used in quantity, a gas detection system is part of the basic equipment.
- Authority / court
- Provincial Offences Court Brampton (Ermittlung: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 25(2)(h) Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Mitigating circumstances
- Guilty plea; permanently installed CO2 sensor after the incident.
- Published
- 27 Aug 2026
Original amount 500,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Aug 2026.
- Carbon Dioxide-Related Injury Results in $500,000 Fine for Brampton Food Manufacturer (Ontario Newsroom, Court Bulletin) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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27 Aug 2026 Flower bulb business failed to disclose hours of Polish seasonal workers – fine of around 95,600 EUR €95,588
A lily and tulip grower with an average of around 50 (at peak 75) employees, where Polish migrant workers are employed (anonymised in the judgment), was unable to produce sufficient records of hours worked and wages paid for 18 employees for September 2020 to February 2021. The Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid) imposed 118,000 EUR in 2024 (112,100 EUR after objection); the North Netherlands District Court (Rechtbank Noord-Nederland) reduced the fine to 95,587.50 EUR, partly because of measures taken and excessively long proceedings.
Companies employing seasonal workers must be able to document hours and wage payments for each person without gaps – missing records are fined separately for each employee.
- Authority / court
- Rechtbank Noord-Nederland (Bußgeld: Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid / Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- Art. 18b Abs. 2 Wet minimumloon en minimumvakantiebijslag (Wml)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- reduced
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Employees
- 50 to 249
- Mitigating circumstances
- Reduction of 12.5 % for appropriate measures, 5 % for delay and 2,500 EUR for exceeding the reasonable length of proceedings.
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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20 Aug 2026 IPMF LLC (NaturPak)NaturPak: $364,100 proposed after three deaths caused by bursting kettle lids €311,703
At the food plant in Janesville (Wisconsin), the lids of pressurised industrial kettles opened in February and March 2026, scalding workers with steam and hot liquid; three people died. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a total of $364,100 for both inspections combined, including repeat violations relating to fall protection and lockout/tagout.
After a serious accident, the technical cause must be eliminated immediately – otherwise, as here, a second similar incident may follow.
- Authority / court
- U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; 29 CFR 1910 (u. a. Lockout/Tagout, Absturzsicherung, persönliche Schutzausrüstung)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 20 Aug 2026
Original amount 364,100 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 20 Aug 2026.
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Jul 2026 Puratos LimitedPuratos: 120,000 GBP for flour dust above exposure limits and heavy sack handling €141,014
During an inspection in December 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found dust escaping from machinery, blowing down with compressed air and dry sweeping at the bakery ingredients factory; measurements confirmed that workplace exposure limits had been exceeded, with a risk of asthma. In addition, employees lifted 25 kg sacks by hand every day. The site had already been cited in 2021 for the same deficiencies; fine of 120,000 GBP plus 6,270 GBP in costs. According to the annual accounts filed with the UK companies register for financial year 2024, the company had around 116 employees.
Companies that do not permanently remedy deficiencies after a citation pay significantly more the next time – flour dust is a recognised cause of asthma.
Dust exposure and lifting heavy loads
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Employees
- 50 to 249
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 20 Jul 2026
Original amount 120,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Jul 2026.
- Food manufacturer fined £120,000 after workers exposed to hazardous dust and manual handling risks Press release of an authority
- Companies House: Registereintrag Puratos Limited (00949175) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link
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25 Jun 2026 Risham Nominees Pty Ltd (Centenary Bakehouse)Centenary Bakehouse: record 3.4 million AUD fine for workplace manslaughter €2.07m
The Supreme Court of Victoria sentenced Risham Nominees Pty Ltd, operator of Centenary Bakehouse, after a guilty plea for workplace manslaughter to a fine of 3.4 million AUD, the highest penalty to date for a single offence under the workplace safety laws of the state of Victoria. During ceiling works at the bakery in Reservoir in August 2021, a worker fell around four metres and suffered fatal head injuries. The company had taken no measures against falls and did not require the use of harnesses that were available, although an independent scaffold would have been reasonably practicable.
For work at height, engineered fall protection such as scaffolding must be planned before work starts; harnesses lying ready without a duty to wear them are not enough.
Fall risks when working at height
- Authority / court
- WorkSafe Victoria
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Workplace-Manslaughter-Bestimmungen des Arbeitsschutzrechts von Victoria (fahrlässiges Verhalten unter Verletzung einer geschuldeten Pflicht mit Todesfolge)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Culpability
- negligent
- Mitigating circumstances
- Guilty plea.
- Published
- 25 Jun 2026
Original amount 3,400,000 AUD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 25 Jun 2026.
- WorkSafe Victoria: Bakery fined record $3.4 million for workplace manslaughter (25.06.2026) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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7 May 2026 Duncan Farms LimitedDuncan Farms: 53,000 GBP because a worker was caught in an unguarded conveyor €61,335
In October 2024, an employee of the egg producer climbed between two running manure conveyors to check a noise and was caught at the in-running nip; he suffered nerve damage to both arms. The drive had no fixed or interlocked guards – instruction and clothing rules alone were not sufficient. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 53,000 GBP.
Instruction is no substitute for technical safeguards: in-running nips must be protected by fixed or interlocked guards.
Stopping machinery before intervening
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Aberdeen Sheriff Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reg. 11(1) und (2); Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 33(1)(c)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 13 May 2026
Original amount 53,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 7 May 2026.
- Egg farm fined after worker trapped in running conveyor machinery Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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10 Apr 2026 MM Flowers LimitedFlower supplier: leg amputated after roller deck accident – 134,000 GBP €153,837
While unloading stuck air cargo skids ahead of Valentine's Day 2023, an employee's leg became trapped in a 10 cm gap in the roller deck and was struck by a skid that slid forward; the leg had to be amputated. Employees had to free stuck loads by hand, and the gap had never been identified; fine of 134,000 GBP plus 4,908 GBP in costs. According to its annual accounts (financial year to August 2025), the flower supplier had an average of 882 employees.
Include everyday tasks such as freeing stuck loads in the risk assessment – especially for peak periods.
- Authority / court
- Peterborough Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Employees
- 250 to 999
- Published
- 13 Apr 2026
Original amount 134,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 10 Apr 2026.
- 'At one point I was genuinely terrified I was going to bleed out and die' (HSE) Press release of an authority
- Companies House: Registereintrag MM Flowers Limited (05697954) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link
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1 Apr 2026 Twelve Cupcakes Pte. Ltd.Twelve Cupcakes (Singapore): stern warning over unpaid salaries for 80 employees Reprimand or warning
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM, Singapore's labour ministry) issued Twelve Cupcakes Pte. Ltd. a formal stern warning because 80 employees were not paid their salaries for 1 to 29 October 2025 after the company closed on 29 October 2025. The parent company Dhunseri Ventures Limited had placed it into liquidation because of an acute cash-flow shortfall; the ministry regarded the case as a genuine business closure in financial distress rather than a deliberate attempt to evade salary obligations and therefore limited its action to the warning.
Even an unavoidable closure does not release an employer from paying wages – informing employees, the union and the authority early reduces the consequences for all sides.
Salary payment obligations when closing a business
- Authority / court
- Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Singapur
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- Employment Act (EA), Singapur (fristgerechte Lohnzahlung)
- Action
- Reprimand or warning
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Employees
- 50 to 249
- Mitigating circumstances
- Salaries paid in full up to and including September 2025 despite continued losses, union informed on the day management learned of the liquidation, liquidator appointed; salary claims rank ahead of other unsecured debts in the insolvency.
- Published
- 1 Apr 2026
- Stern Warning Issued to Twelve Cupcakes for Non-Payment of Salaries (Ministry of Manpower, 1 April 2026) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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4 Feb 2026 Alco Harvesting LLC dba Bonipak Produce Inc. und verbundene UnternehmenBonipak: $6.175 million for farmworkers over undisclosed paid sick leave €5.22m
Following the COVID death of a farmworker in employer-provided housing, the California Labor Commissioner's Office sued the agricultural business in Santa Maria in 2021: more than 10,000 farmworkers, including H-2A seasonal workers, had not been informed of their entitlement to paid sick leave; in addition, there was unpaid travel time as well as overtime and minimum wage violations. The settlement of $6,175,000 (of which $4.2 million goes directly to workers) includes posting and reporting obligations.
Information obligations towards seasonal workers are not a formality – companies that leave workers in the dark about paid sick leave are liable for the consequences.
- Authority / court
- California Labor Commissioner's Office (Division of Labor Standards Enforcement)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- California Labor Code (Paid Sick Leave, COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave, Mindestlohn, Überstunden)
- Action
- Other
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 4 Feb 2026
Original amount 6,175,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Feb 2026.
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Dec 2025 Asparagus farm without reliable working time records: Raad van State upholds 11,250 EUR €11,250
In May/June 2022, the working time records of an asparagus business (anonymised in the judgment) deviated structurally from the hours actually worked; among other things, Sunday work went unrecorded, so compliance with working and rest times could not be checked. The Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Dutch Council of State (Raad van State, Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak) upheld the fine of 11,250 EUR, imposed in 2023 without prior warning, including the increase factor of 1.5.
Working time records that do not reflect actual hours are treated as missing – businesses are then sanctioned without prior warning.
Correct recording of working and rest times
- Authority / court
- Raad van State, Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak (Bußgeld: Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Working time
- Legal basis
- Art. 4:3 Abs. 1 Arbeidstijdenwet
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Raad van State, ECLI:NL:RVS:2025:6142 vom 17.12.2025 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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24 Nov 2025 Taylor Farms New Jersey Inc.Taylor Farms New Jersey: USD 1.13m in OSHA penalties after fatal cleaning accident €974,951
After an employee was fatally injured while cleaning a machine at the fresh-cut vegetable plant in Swedesboro (New Jersey) in May 2025, OSHA cited Taylor Farms New Jersey, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods, for 16 violations, which it describes as wilful and repeated, and proposed penalties of 1,125,484 USD; the allegations concern missing lockout/tagout procedures and lack of training. The on-site staffing agency PL Solutions Group LLC (People Logistics) received three separate citations with 33,100 USD. The companies could contest the citations before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment. The decision is not final.
Cleaning production equipment is maintenance – without energy isolation and lockout there is a risk to life, including for agency workers.
Isolating energy during cleaning and maintenance
Missing or inadequate training played a role in the decision.
- Authority / court
- U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Occupational Safety and Health Act; OSHA-Standard zur Kontrolle gefährlicher Energien (Lockout/Tagout)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- not yet final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 24 Nov 2025
Original amount 1,125,484 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Nov 2025.
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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29 Oct 2025 JBS Australia Pty LtdJBS Australia: AUD 330,000 fine after forklift accident €187,170
In July 2022 a 56-year-old worker in the palletising area of a JBS Australia site was struck by a forklift and seriously injured in the leg. Following a SafeWork NSW investigation, the District Court convicted the company of breaching its health and safety duty and fined it AUD 330,000.
Palletising and storage areas need consistent separation of forklift traffic and walkways.
Separating pedestrians from forklift traffic in storage and palletising areas
- Authority / court
- SafeWork NSW / District Court of NSW
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- ss 32, 19(1) Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 31 Mar 2026
Original amount 330,000 AUD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 29 Oct 2025.
- SafeWork NSW: Prosecutions – October 2025 (JBS Australia Pty Ltd, 29 October 2025) Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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4 Sep 2025 Midri, Inc. (Restaurant J BBQ, Los Angeles)Restaurant J BBQ: 680,238 USD – breaks denied, split shifts without premium €584,046
The Koreatown restaurant regularly denied 48 employees meal and rest breaks, required them to remain available for guests even during the lunch break, did not pay split-shift premiums and did not pay all wages. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office imposed 680,238 USD, of which 538,638 USD for the benefit of the employees.
In the restaurant trade, breaks must be actively scheduled and documented – being on call for guests during the break turns it into working time.
Break arrangements in the restaurant trade
- Authority / court
- California Labor Commissioner's Office (Division of Labor Standards Enforcement)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Working time
- Legal basis
- California Labor Code (Meal and Rest Periods, Split Shift Premium, Lohnabrechnung)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Liability of senior managers
- Measures against individuals are not reported here.
Original amount 680,238 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Sep 2025.
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link
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9 Jul 2025 Well Sushi LimitedWell Sushi (New Zealand): 30,000 NZD penalty for minimum wage and holiday breaches €15,350
On the application of a Labour Inspector, the Employment Relations Authority (New Zealand's employment relations tribunal) ordered Well Sushi Limited to pay a penalty of 30,000 NZD to the Crown. The company had admitted failing to pay an employee on a work visa the minimum wage for all hours worked, miscalculating his annual leave, public holiday and sick leave entitlements and failing to keep complete time and wage records; arrears totalling 53,940.03 NZD had already been paid under a settlement. No penalties were sought against the co-respondent Hutt Food Limited because the time limit had expired.
Incomplete time records are not a mere formality: they lead to incorrect wage and leave calculations – particularly for employees on work visas.
Time recording as the basis for correct wage and leave calculations
- Authority / court
- Employment Relations Authority, Wellington (Antrag: Labour Inspector, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- Employment Relations Act 2000 (ss. 130, 135), Minimum Wage Act 1983 (s. 6), Holidays Act 2003 (u. a. ss. 16, 24, 25, 28A, 40, 49, 50, 60, 71, 72, 81)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- Settlement without a hearing, full payment of arrears, changed payroll processes and no previous breaches; the Authority therefore reduced the calculated 40,000 NZD to 30,000 NZD.
Original amount 30,000 NZD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 9 Jul 2025.
- A Labour Inspector v Hutt Food Limited, Well Sushi Limited and Anor, [2025] NZERA 404 (Employment Relations Authority, Determination 9 July 2025) Decision of an authority
- ERA Determinations Database – LABOUR INSPECTOR v HUTT FOOD LIMITED and Ors, [2025] NZERA 404 (Main Category: Penalty) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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19 Nov 2024 Valenti's Bakery LLCNew Jersey bakery: OSHA proposes $385,221 because deficiencies allegedly remained after finger amputation €364,172
Following the partial amputation of two fingers on an automatic blade, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had inspected the bakery in Paterson in June 2023; according to OSHA, lockout/tagout procedures were still missing at the follow-up inspection in May 2024, and exit routes were blocked and fall edges unprotected. OSHA proposed penalties of $385,221 (including for failure to abate, 2 violations classified as wilful and 1 as repeat); the violations are alleged and may be contested.
Follow-up inspections are the rule – companies that do not remedy cited deficiencies must expect additional penalties for failure to abate.
- Authority / court
- U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- 29 CFR 1910.147 (Lockout/Tagout), 1910.37 (Fluchtwege), 1910.212 (Maschinenschutz)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Culpability
- intentional
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 19 Nov 2024
Original amount 385,221 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 19 Nov 2024.
- Department of Labor fines New Jersey bakery $385K after inspectors find workers still exposed to safety hazards (OSHA) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link
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16 Sep 2024 five Californian outlet companies of a fast-food franchiseeFast-food franchisee: 1.7 million USD – overtime evaded by splitting up companies €1.53m
The franchisee ran five outlets of a fast-food chain in California as separate companies and deployed employees at several locations on the same day. As a result, they lost out on overtime premiums after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, premiums for missed meal breaks, paid travel time and the higher minimum wage for larger employers; the settlement of 1.7 million USD concerns around 550 employees.
Working time is added up across all locations of the same employer – splitting into separate companies does not protect against overtime obligations.
- Authority / court
- California Labor Commissioner's Office (Division of Labor Standards Enforcement)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Working time
- Legal basis
- California Labor Code (Overtime, Meal Periods, Mindestlohn)
- Action
- Other
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Culpability
- intentional
- Liability of senior managers
- Measures against individuals are not reported here.
Original amount 1,700,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 16 Sep 2024.
- California DIR, Medienraum (Übersicht) (Entscheidung 2024) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 6 · Company name anonymised since 16 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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30 Jan 2024 Vegetable grower cheats harvest workers out of minimum wage: around 500,000 EUR in fines and confiscation €500,000
A vegetable-growing business did not pay harvest workers the collectively agreed minimum wage; the shortfall was just under 300,000 EUR. The investigation was based on interviews conducted with interpreters and the analysis of working time and harvest volume data. Fines of around 200,000 EUR were imposed, and around 300,000 EUR in proceeds of the offence were confiscated in addition (date = publication).
Piece-rate and volume-based pay in seasonal work must reach the minimum wage per hour; deductions for accommodation and work equipment are closely scrutinised.
- Authority / court
- Hauptzollamt Karlsruhe (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- Mindestlohn- bzw. Tarifrecht (tariflich bestimmter Mindestlohn); Einziehung des Tatertrags
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 30 Jan 2024
- Zoll, Presse (Übersicht) (Entscheidung 2024) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 30 Jan 2026 · Direct link
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22 Nov 2023 a British food manufacturerFood manufacturer: £700,000 after finger amputation while cleaning a machine €804,320
An employee lost two fingers when his hand was drawn into a rotary valve while he was removing a piece of string from a chute on a breading line. The HSE criticised missing guarding, an inadequate risk assessment and inadequate training. Fine of £700,000 plus costs.
Cleaning and fault clearance are high-risk activities – guarding and training must cover precisely these situations.
Safe cleaning of machinery only when stopped
Missing or inadequate training played a role in the decision.
- Authority / court
- Lincoln Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Regulation 11(1) Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Employees
- 1,000 to 9,999
- Published
- 22 Nov 2023
Original amount 700,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Nov 2023.
- HSE, Pressemitteilungen (Übersicht) (Entscheidung 2023) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 22 Nov 2025 · Direct link