|
U.S. Department of Labor | |
||||
| Occupational Safety & Health Administration | ||||||
 |
|
OSHA News Release
2004 - 02/25/2004 - OSHA Cites Two Alabama Companies Following Fatal Accident |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
|
Region 4 News Release Release Number: 04-170-ATL (43) Wed., Feb. 25, 2004 Contact: Ken Atha Jo Anne Burgoyne Phone: (251) 441-6131 (404) 562-2076 OSHA Cites Two Alabama Companies Following Fatal Accident
MOBILE, Ala. -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Burkes Mechanical, Inc., and Gulf States Paper Corporation following the investigation of a Sept. 24 fatal accident at a Demopolis pulp and cardboard manufacturing plant. Proposed penalties total $88,200. On the day of the accident, Burkes' employees were removing wood and bark chips underneath a moving conveyor belt and shoveling them back onto the conveyor. An employee reportedly went into a narrow opening to remove bark that had accumulated under the belt. His shovel caught between a roller and the underside of the moving conveyor, pulling him into the machinery and trapping him. "Following the basic safety rules would have prevented this tragic death," said Ken Atha, OSHA's Mobile area director. "The machinery should have been turned off and the energy source isolated; the fact that Burkes knew these rules compounds the tragedy." OSHA's report shows that maintenance employees were working in the same area the day before the accident. While they were working, the conveyor belts had been locked out. The report also notes that Burkes had a written "lockout-tagout" program. OSHA issued one willful citation, with a proposed penalty of $63,000, to Burkes Mechanical, Inc. for failing to render the conveyor inoperable before employees began work. A willful citation is issued when an employer has shown an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. The company also received three serious citations, with $18,900 in proposed penalties, for failing to follow "lockout-tagout" procedures, provide training to employees and furnish instructions on how to stop the conveyor in the event of an emergency. Gulf States, the owner of the plant, received one serious citation, with a $6,300 proposed penalty for failing to provide warning signs around the conveyor alerting employees of "caught-in" hazards. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and that the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. The companies have 15 working days to contest the OSHA citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Staff from OSHA's Mobile area office, located at 3737 Government Blvd., Suite 100, conducted the inspection; phone: (251) 441-6131. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses, and protecting America's workers. Work-related fatalities declined 6.6 percent in 2002, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ###
U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at <http://www.dol.gov>. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call (202) 693-7765 or TTY (202) 693-7755. |
|
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
 Back to Top |
www.osha.gov | www.dol.gov |
Contact Us | Freedom of Information Act | Customer Survey Privacy and Security Statement | Disclaimers |
||
| Occupational Safety & Health Administration 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 |
||
