A Bridgford Foods processing plant in Chicago faces up to $212,000 in fines for worker safety violations, a federal agency said Tuesday.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the producer of meat snacks and deli foods for failing to implement and provide training for workers on lockout procedures, in turn exposing workers to energized equipment.

The federal agency also issued a willful citation for allowing workers to remove a shovel stuck in a conveyor without locking or tagging out the auger, “placing employees in danger of the machine operating while they worked to remove the shovel.”

A willful violation exists when an employer has demonstrated an “intentional disregard” for the requirements of the law or “plain indifference” to employee safety and health, the agency said.

OSHA said it has inspected Bridgford Foods’ Chicago plant three times since November 2007, resulting in 29 health and safety citations. Bridgfood Foods Corp. is headquartered in Anaheim, Calif., and also operates two factories in Dallas and one in Statesville, N.C.

Officials at Bridgford were unavailable for comment.

Smjones@tribune.com