PEKIN - AGRIDYNE
LLC IS BEING SLAPPED WITH A $266,000 FEDERAL FINE AFTER TWO MEN WERE KILLED AT THE PEKIN FACILITY WHILE CLEANING RAIL
CARS LAST SUMMER. THE COMPANY COMMITTED SOME VERY SERIOUS VIOLATIONS.
The victims were exposed to a dangerous amount of
hydrogen sulfide gas and OSHA has been investigating the incident since.
Today OSHA announced it is citing the company for a
slew, of what they call, serious safety violations. Eight to be exact.
Below is what we received today from the U.S. Department
of Labor in a news release.
OSHA determined that neither victim was equipped with an
emergency retrieval system before they entered the car. The primary cause of
death of both employees was closed space asphyxiation and hydrogen sulfide
intoxication, a byproduct of the residual organic waste contained in the tank.
As a result, the liquid animal feed manufacturer has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
“Permit-required confined spaces put workers in real and
immediate danger. Atmospheric conditions must be tested and monitored before
workers enter,” said Thomas Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Peoria. “The
employer must also ensure that safety equipment, such as a retrieval line, is
provided to employees and used. This was a terrible incident that was
completely preventable.”
Agridyne LLC also failed to complete a permit-required
confined spaces entry permit; did not use testing and
monitoring equipment to evaluate the permit space condition prior to
entry; and failed to require employees to use rescue and emergency equipment. A
confined space is one large enough for workers to enter and perform certain
jobs, such as a rail car clean-out, but it has limited or restricted means for
entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional,
knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain
indifference to worker safety and health.
OSHA also found the company failed to designate trained
rescue employees and use a retrieval system attached to the worker to aid in
rescue; train workers and place warning signs about hazards that may be
encountered in confined spaces; and ensure rail tank cars had been ventilated
prior to entry. Eight serious citations were issued for these violations.
An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious
physical harm could result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known
exists.
OSHA has proposed fines totaling $266,000. To view the
current citations, visit
The Springfield-based company employs 47 workers
corporatewide and eight at the Pekin location. The company has 15 business days
from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal
conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the
independent Occupational Safety and Health Review
Commission.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a
complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations
posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free
hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Peoria Area Office at
309-589-7033.
Under the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for
providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to
ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and
enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more
information, visit http://www.osha.gov.