GE Appliances shuts down for the week after employee's death, OSHA investigating

Jul. 25—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the Wednesday morning death of a 58-year-old Town Creek man at GE Appliances in Decatur, and a company spokeswoman announced that the plant will cancel production for the rest of the week.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our employee Rodney Terry who passed away this morning while working in the plant," said GE Appliances spokeswoman Julie Wood. "He will be remembered as a gentle, kind man who cared about those around him. He quickly rose through the plant as an area leader, and we are grateful for the compassion he showed in this role and his almost five years of service."

Decatur Fire & Rescue EMS responded to the refrigeration plant at 2328 Point Mallard Drive Southeast for an "entrapment with a piece of machinery" call at around 9:22 a.m., according to Deputy Fire Chief Nathan Springer.

As word of the incident began to spread, Wood released a statement confirming the employee's death just before 11 a.m.

"We are working with local law enforcement to understand the cause of this tragic accident and contacting the family of the employee to offer our assistance," she said. Employees were sent home, and additional employee assistance program resources were made available.

Decatur police also responded to the scene and said their investigation is ongoing. The incident happened at around 9:15 a.m., according to DPD.

Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn said Terry's death will be ruled an "industrial accident."

"As we work to understand what happened today, including bringing in resources to help us review the operations and equipment, we feel it is in the best interest of our team to cancel production for the rest of the week," said Wood in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "Employees will be paid for this time off. During this time, we also have additional counseling resources available for our employees who need support."

The Decatur plant produces top-freezer refrigerators and employs 1,600 people, according to Wood. — OSHA

U.S. Department of Labor spokeswoman Erika Ruthman confirmed Wednesday afternoon that OSHA is investigating Terry's death.

OSHA, which falls under the Department of Labor, enforces workplace safety and health requirements and has jurisdiction over around 7 million worksites. Work-related fatalities, which must be reported within eight hours, rank high on their inspection priority list.

OSHA's Birmingham area office is responsible for investigating worksites in north Alabama.

"We're aware of the fatality and we'll just follow our normal protocols," said a Birmingham OSHA representative, who declined to give his name. "No matter what the circumstances are, our inspection process remains the same. It's a whole legal process. That's all I can really say at the moment."

The representative declined to say when OSHA last inspected GE Appliances.

According to an OSHA fact sheet, inspections due to work-related fatalities or serious injury rank only behind "imminent danger situations" — hazards that could cause death if unaddressed — in priority.

OSHA inspections start with compliance officers researching the inspection history of a worksite. At the site, the compliance officer holds an opening conference explaining the scope of the inspection before conducting a "walkaround" of workplace areas with an employer representative in tow.

After the inspection, the compliance officer holds a closing conference with the employer to discuss the findings and possible courses of action.

"When an inspector finds violations of OSHA standards or serious hazards, OSHA may issue citations and fines," the fact sheet reads. "Citations describe OSHA requirements allegedly violated, list any proposed penalties, and give a deadline for correcting the alleged hazards. Violations are categorized as willful, serious, other-than-serious, de minimis, failure to abate, and repeated."

A search of OSHA records reveals that GE Appliances was issued two "serious" citations in March 2016, shortly before the plant was sold to Haier U.S. Appliance Solutions Inc.

Procedures were not developed, documented or used for the control of "potentially hazardous energy" when employees were engaged in certain activities, according to one citation.

"An employee removed the guard and reached into the supply hopper and the feed throat to remove plastic debris without locking the equipment out," it reads.

GE Appliances was fined $5,100. The second citation, which was issued in the same time frame, lists no financial penalty.

"The employer did not provide adequate training to ensure that employees acquired the knowledge and skills required for the safe application, usage and removal of energy control devices," reads the second citation. "An employee had not been trained on the safe way to remove excess material from the supply hopper and the feed throat."

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.