Nissan plant cited, ordered to pay fine after employee death
Ariana Maia Sawyer , USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee Published 8:31 p.m. CT Feb. 24, 2017 | Updated 9:34 p.m. CT Feb. 24, 2017
The Nissan plant in Smyrna, TN has been cited and ordered to pay $29,000 in fines by the state's Department of Labor and Workforce Development after an employee was killed on the job late last year.
According to labor department records, which detail the investigation into the incident and subsequent citations, the Smyrna plant failed to either ensure that employees stay out of mechanical testing areas or provide machine guarding.
The plant was also cited for failing to perform certain related annual safety inspections.
Parul Bajaj, a spokesperson for Nissan, said the plant is contesting the citations.
"The safety and well-being of our employees is always our top priority," Bajaj said. "We dedicate extensive time and resources to safety programs and training at the plant."
Dennis Pinkston, 46, received a “severe crushing head injury” Nov. 16 while checking that repairs to a conveyor belt had been successful, the report says. He was struck by a 1,275-pound counterweight that should have been secured by a large portion of metal mesh but that had been removed by mechanics during the repair process.
Pinkston was also too close to the opening in the mesh and leaned in while the machine was cycling on, the report says. The report also notes he could not have been struck at all had the mesh guard been put back in place.
He was taken by medical helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition where a Nissan spokeswoman said he died.
Person airlifted after accident at Smyrna Nissan plant
After the fatal accident, the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) responded to the scene to investigate the incident.
Bajaj said the plant continues to work on determining what can be done to prevent future occurrences.
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In the inspection, Nissan did score high on their overall safety and health management program.
It is part of Nissan’s training procedures to replace machine guards before running a test cycle, according records of their procedures obtained by TOSHA inspectors.
According to the citation notes, the same Nissan plant was cited for not keeping an employee out of a testing area once before, in 2013. The plant was also cited in 2015 for failing to provide machine guarding in an incident that resulted in an employee losing a fingertip.
Additionally, employees interviewed during the investigation told a TOSHA inspector that machine guards sometimes are not replaced during a repair test when the guard is heavy.
And as of two weeks after Pinkston's death, inspectors reported they were not sure what efforts, if any, Nissan had made to correct the danger.
Pinkston's death marked the plant's third in five years.
In June 2013, Nissan maintenance technician Michael Hooper, 43, was involved in a fatal accident in the body assembly area of the Smyrna vehicle assembly plant.
Then in April 2013, an unidentified man, who worked for Nissan supplier Complete Automation, was killed when a large electrical panel fell while it was being moved.
In January 2012, contract driver Martin O'Connell, 50, of Murfreesboro was killed when he became trapped between his truck and a set of parked trailers.
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A Smyrna Nissan Vehicle Assembly Plant employee killed at work this week has been identified by family as Dennis Pinkston and, according to new reports, he apparently died as a result of head trauma.
Pinkston, who lived in Murfreesboro, was fatally injured in an industrial accident Wednesday morning at the plant at 983 Nissan Drive.
According to Rutherford County dispatch report, emergency crews responded at 10:45 a.m. to the business for a report of an employee whose head had just been crushed in a machine.
He was taken by medical helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center in critical condition where a Nissan spokeswoman said he died.
Friends of Pinkston have created a Go Fund Me site to help pay for the cost of his funeral. As of Friday more then $18,000 of a $25,000 goal had been raised.
According to the site, Pinkston was a loving husband, father, son, brother, cousin and friend and "will be greatly missed by many."
Pinkston's brother Mark Little said funeral arrangements are pending. The funeral, he said, will be open to the public.
After the fatal accident, the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) responded to the scene to investigate the incident.
A final TOSHA investigation report is expected to be released within six weeks.
Pinkston's death marked the third in five years at the plant.
In June 2013, Nissan maintenance technician Michael Hooper, 43, was involved in a fatal accident in the body assembly area of the Smyrna vehicle assembly plant
Then in April 2013, an unidentified man, who worked for Nissan supplier Complete Automation, was killed when a large electrical panel fell while it was being moved.
In January 2012, contract driver Martin O'Connell, 50, of Murfreesboro was killed when he became trapped between his truck and a set of parked trailers.