Midwest's Largest Private Garbage Firm Hit with $125,000 in Worker's Death
OSHA's Region 6 announced a $125,000 fine Friday against Deffenbaugh Industries Inc.'s Omaha branch for two alleged willful violations in connection with an employee's death in November 2006. The worker sustained crushing injuries when a six-yard refuse collection container swung free from the back of a collection truck, crushing the worker against the truck. "Deffenbaugh Industries Inc. failed to protect its employees from known hazards which contributed to the death of an employee engaged in refuse collection," said Charles E. Adkins, CIH, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. "The citations and penalties OSHA is announcing today will ensure that this employer takes responsibility to correct safety and health hazards. All employers should evaluate their workplaces to ensure employees are operating equipment safely."
Deffenbaugh Industries Inc. and Affiliates (www.deffenbaughindustries.com) is a 50-year-old company headquartered in suburban Kansas City that has eight locations in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska and more than 1,900 employees. It operates a 700-acre landfill that is the largest disposal facility in the Kansas City area and the largest in the state of Kansas, according to the company's Web site information.
The willful citations against the company allege it failed to maintain trunnion safety latches on the garbage truck and failed to maintain a safety latch on container lifting hooks.