Mississippi Lumber Mill Cited Following Worker Fatality
OSHA cited the employer for willful and serious safety violations.
According to
a news release from OSHA, a Graham Lumber Co. employee was killed after he became entangled in a conveyor belt at the company's lumber mill in Fulton, Miss. The worker was cleaning up sawdust and bark around an unguarded conveyor when the entanglement occurred. OSHA has cited Graham Lumber for one willful and one serious safety violation following the April 2014 fatality.
"This tragic incident could have been prevented if the employer ensured that the safety guard, which had been removed, was replaced immediately. This illustrates how important it is for a company to maintain safeguards even during non-production work activity because it directly affects the health and safety of all workers," said Eugene Stewart, director of OSHA's Jackson Area Office.
The willful citation was issued for the employer's alleged failure to ensure machine conveyor belts, sprocket chains, and rollers were guarded to prevent employees from becoming caught in them. OSHA issued the serious citation for failure to provide a safety guard on a rotating shaft end on a sawdust collector conveyor belt, which exposed workers to caught-in and amputation hazards.