Explosion Kills Worker at Madden Bolt
This is the second employee death in a year for the steel manufacturer, OSHA reported.
A Madden Bolt Corp. worker was killed in August 2014 when a cutting-table explosion threw the employee and a steel plate into the air, according to a report from OSHA that said this victim was the second person killed while working for the Houston-based steel manufacturer. The first was a forklift driver who was died in September 2013 when the vehicle turned over and pinned him underneath.
The inspection that followed the explosion found serious violations that included failing to: ensure that the air and gas concentration in the cutting table did not accumulate to create an explosion; protect fuel cylinders from damage; place safety guards on band saws and a pipe press, causing workers to be exposed to being caught in the machinery; cover live electrical parts on equipment; and outline proper procedures to shut down equipment while performing maintenance.
"When an employee is killed by a preventable workplace hazard, this is no accident. It means the employer failed to protect workers from dangers that can cause injury, illness, or, in this case, another needless death," said Josh Flesher, acting area director for OSHA's Houston North Area Office.