A Wisconsin grain handling facility has been deemed a severe violator of workplace safety standards and is facing $122,500 in proposed penalties for exposing its workers to engulfment hazards.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that Columbus, Wisconsin-based Duffy Grain Inc. exposed employees to the risk of being smothered and suffocated by flowing grain as they cleaned storage bins, the agency said in a press release on Wednesday.

Duffy Grain was cited for two willful and six serious safety violations and placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which focuses resources on inspecting employers who, according to the agency, have demonstrated indifference to their Occupational Safety and Health Act obligations through willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations.

The agency opened an investigation after receiving a complaint alleging unsafe working conditions under the Grain Handling Industry Local Emphasis program, which focuses on the grain and feed industry's six major hazards: engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, struck by, combustible dust explosions and electrocution hazards. Twenty-six workers died in grain bin entrapments in 2010 — the highest number ever recorded — leading OSHA to focus its enforcement efforts on the industry.

“Sending workers into a grain bin with the auger moving is extremely dangerous,” Ann Grevenkamp, OSHA's area director in Madison, Wisconsin, said in a statement. “Duffy Grain knows the precautions that needed to be taken to protect its workers, but failed in their responsibility to follow them. Someone's life and well-being should never be the cost of doing business.”

“As a long time employer and service provider to the area, worker safety is a priority at Duffy Grain,” Ryan Duffy, vice president and safety manager, said in a statement. “No employee was injured nor directed to act in an unsafe manner. Our intention is to proactively work with OSHA to quickly put this matter to rest. At Duffy Grain, we partner with our employees on a daily basis to keep them, our customers and our facilities safe.”