$82,000 of violations led to a worker being crushed to death in Broward, OSHA says
A federal investigation into a worker who was crushed to death at a Port Everglades area cement facility resulted in $82,269 of proposed OSHA fines for the two companies involved.
The 39-year-old worked for Birmingham, Alabama’s G & R Mineral Services, which was handling repairs on top of a cement silo at HM Southeast Cement aka Heidelberg Materials, Cement, 2600 Eisenhower Blvd. on Aug. 4.
Equipment that was turned off and locked got turned on and unlocked. An employee aligning the South Cross Screw conveyor section, OSHA said, “was caught by the screw conveyor and crushed.”
The federal Occupational Safety Health Administration cited HM Southeast/Heidelberg for three violations worth $43,554:
▪ Heidelberg “did not ensure that the lockout/tagout procedure(s) for the South Screw described the scope, the type and magnitude of the participating hazardous energies; the location and identity of the disconnecting means; and the specific steps for shutting down and controlling hazardous energy; the placement and removal of lockout/tagout devices; and the testing of equipment during assembly and adjustment.”
▪ Neither Heidelberg nor G & R properly planned “the lockout/tagout procedures and the methods for lock removal, power re-connection and controlled rotation of the unguarded screw.”
▪ Heidelberg “did not ensure that periodic inspections of the energy control procedure(s) for the South Cross Screw were performed to prevent accidental contact with nip points, rotating parts, and electrically energized parts.”
Heidelberg didn’t answer an email to corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas, sent through its website.
OSHA cited G & R on three violations worth $38,715.
G & R was cited on the first two violations for Heidelberg and “South Cross Screw area employees were exposed to caught-in and amputation hazards, in that the employer did not ensure employees were removed from the unguarded screw area at the time locks were removed and the screw was re-energized and rotated.”
Reached by phone, G & R President Jim Love made no comment other than to say G & R has contested the violations.
To file an OSHA complaint, go online or call 800-321-6742 (OSHA).
