American Packaging faces $127,000 fine over worker death

Related tags Occupational safety and health

American Packaging Corp faces fines totalling over $127,000 following citation by the OSHA over the death of a worker and a string of health and safety violations at its Columbus, Wisconsin, plant.

The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has alleged 29 “serious violations” against the packaging company after a worker was killed in an explosion at the site.

The agency launched its investigation last October after a maintenance technician was killed during an explosion at the plant. Flammable vapours were present when the worker was using a grinder to cut off a bolt while installing a metal floor threshold.

American Packaging has been cited with 26 serious health violations and fined $108,450. The company also has been cited with three serious safety violations with $18,900 in proposed penalties for “failing to take adequate precautions to prevent the ignition of flammable vapours, to prevent cutting operations in the presence of explosive atmospheres and to maintain safe handling of equipment in cutting operations”, said the OSHA.

The company has 15 working days to respond.