The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Cambridge Brands Inc., a subsidiary of Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. of Chicago, and a Boston staffing agency following an incident that resulted in the amputation of a temporary worker’s finger.

MJR, a Boston staffing company that does business as Snelling Staffing Services, supplied the worker to Cambridge Brands Inc.’s production facility in Cambridge, Mass.

OSHA began an inspection on Feb. 2, soon after learning of the injury. OSHA’s inspection found that:

• Cambridge Brands failed to guard moving parts of the candy-wrapping machine against unintended contact, exposing workers to possible broken bones, soft tissue damage and amputation.
• Neither Cambridge Brands nor MJR trained the worker adequately about mechanical and noise hazards and safeguards.
• Cambridge Brands did not certify that it had performed periodic inspections of its energy control procedures to prevent the unintended startup of machinery during servicing and maintenance.
• Cambridge Brands failed to report the amputation to OSHA within 24 hours, as required.

“This was a joint employment situation in which MJR supplied and paid the worker and Cambridge Brands, as host employer, supervised and dictated temporary employees’ work,” Anthony Covello, OSHA’s area director for Middlesex and Essex counties, said. “Both employers had a responsibility to adequately train temporary workers about hazards and safeguards associated with their work duties and both failed to do so. We found that the temporary workers did not receive the same level of training as permanent employees at Cambridge Brands. Adequate and effective training is essential so employees can identify and avoid work-related hazards and injuries.”

Cambridge Brands faces a total of $46,000 in proposed penalties while MJR Management faces $9,000 in penalties.

Neither employer informed OSHA of the worker’s injury, Covello said.

Each company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to respond.