A St. Louis recycling company has been charged with 24 safety violations after an investigation into a fatality at the facility last October, the U.S. Department of Labor reports.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Central Paper Stock Inc. with one willful, 21 serious and two other-than-serious safety violations for the Oct. 26 incident that killed a worker, the DOL reported 28.
The OSHA investigation determined the worker had been loading paper products onto the conveyor belt for a paper baler when the chute became jammed, stopping the conveyor. "The worker walked up the conveyor to unjam the materials," OSHA states in the report, "and fell down the chute and into the paper baler."
OSHA reports Central Paper Stock did not install any barriers to keep workers from falling into the baler or measures to stop the machinery while jams were cleared, according to the report. The company was also cited for safety violations including "walking-working surfaces, personal protective equipment, potential explosive dust accumulation, permit-required confined spaces, sanitary conditions, and electrical wiring, fire extinguisher training, and hazard communication," the statement reports.
“The numerous safety OSHA violations cited in this facility must be addressed to prevent a similar tragedy,” OSHA Area Director Bill McDonald said in the report.
Central Paper Stock has been placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program as a result of the fatality and faces a recommended penalty of $206,058, according to the report.
“A worker’s life might have been saved had safe operating procedures been followed," McDonald said in the report. "No worker should ever be exposed to falling into dangerous equipment or being struck by equipment that cycles during service and maintenance."
