OSHA has cited Dupont Yard Inc. after an employee suffered a partial hand amputation and other injuries while working on unguarded machinery in Homerville, Georgia.

July 16, 2018

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Southeast Georgia Manufacturer
After Employee Amputation

HOMERVILLE, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dupont Yard Inc. after an employee suffered a partial hand amputation and other injuries while working on unguarded machinery in Homerville, Georgia. The wooden post manufacturer faces $109,548 in proposed penalties.

OSHA cited the company for allowing employees to operate unguarded machinery and failing to have an emergency stop switch on a conveyor, exposing employees to caught-in and amputation hazards.

“Employers that fail to incorporate safety in their work operations are placing employees at risk for serious injuries,” said OSHA Savannah Area Office Director Margo Westmoreland. “This employer’s disregard for safety is leaving employees vulnerable to preventable hazards.”

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed 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.

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.


Dupont Yard, Inc. has engaged in the forest products industry in Southeast Georgia since 1982. Dupont Yard's manufacturing activities include the following:

• Manufactures posts used primarily in agricultural projects and in highway DOT application.
• Operates a mulch production facility and bagging plant, using 100% virgin pine timber and cypress wood to manufacture its mulch.
• Operates a pine saw mill and planer mill.  The lumber is kiln dried and graded in accordance with the Timber Product Inspection Bureau, Inc.’s exacting requirements.
• Produces wood chips as a fuel mix derived from the by-product of its post and lumber operation.

Dupont Yard recently installed a new state-of-the-art dry kiln heated by a green sawdust burner utilizing only renewable biomass fuel.

The Company insures that all of the wood fiber is manufactured into a valuable product. The smaller diameter trees and the tops of trees can be used for posts. The larger diameter trees and lower part of the tree are used for lumber production. The extreme top of the tree is used in its mulch and fuel chip production. The by-product from post and lumber production are sold as fuel chips and sawdust. The Company produces heat for its lumber drying kiln from sawdust produced in its lumber operations.

In 2013, Steve W. Conner purchased Hubert Moore Lumber Company in Alapaha, GA. The Lumber Company now operates as Dupont Pine Products, LLC. Dupont Pine Products has the capability to produce specialty timbers, decking, and corral boards in lengths up to 24 feet. For inquiries, contact Steve W. Conner at 912-218-4563.

Posts

Dupont Yard, Inc. is one of the largest producers of pine posts in the Southeastern United States. The Company can produce in quantity and arrange to inventory posts for customers on its property while the posts air dry. Custom sizes can be produced upon a customer’s request.

The Company also has the capability of kiln drying posts for customers.