Company Cited After Joplin Cleanup Death
After the employee was fatally injured in a saw accident, OSHA penalized his employer with a $140,000 fine.
Missouri American Water in Joplin, Mo. received citations from OSHA after a worker was killed during cleanup and reconstruction after the May 2011 EF5 tornado caused extensive damage in the city. The worker was fatally injured while using a gas-powered saw in May of this year.
"Employers such as Missouri American Water have a responsibility to take all necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace and to ensure that workers are given the proper equipment, tools, and training to conduct required tasks," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. in a statement on the OSHA website. "It is tragic that an employee lost his life while performing valuable work to rebuild this devastated community."
The water company faces fines totaling $140,000. The employee and another worker were cutting sections of a pipe when the accident occurred. According to OSHA, the employees lacked pipe-cutting training.
A full list of the citations issued by OSHA can be seen here on the agency’s website.