Koch Foods Faces October Deadline to Fix Safety Lapses After Fatal Fire
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has given Koch Foods until mid-October to fix safety lapses identified during an investigation into a Feb.15 fire at its Fairfield, Ohio plant that killed one worker and injured two other workers.
- Investigators found the company failed to review its emergency plan after a February update, lacked proper lockout/tagout procedures, skipped required inspections and did not train employees to recognize or control hazardous energy, exposing workers to burns, caught-in hazards and unexpected machine startups.
- The fire caused portions of the building’s roof to collapse, complicating the search for the worker, whose body was recovered hours later. The Butler County Coroner’s Office ruled his death accidental, attributing it to smoke inhalation, while two other injured workers were treated for burns and released.
- OSHA initially proposed $267,998 in fines but reduced the penalty to $167,000 after Koch Foods agreed to address the violations by mid-October. The company previously had a smaller, non-injury fire at the same facility in December 2024 that caused $50,000 in damage.
Worker Airlifted to Trauma Center After Falling into Trench
- A construction worker suffered a head injury after falling into a trench at an active job site near a Walmart in Tomball, Texas Sept. 1, and was airlifted by to the Red Duke Trauma Institute at the Texas Medical Center.
- The man’s age, current condition, the trench’s depth, and the identity of the site’s contractor remain unclear, and it has not been publicly determined whether he stepped into an unmarked excavation or was affected by a soil collapse.
- Federal rules under OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P require trenches five feet deep or deeper to include protective systems like shoring or trench boxes, while 29 CFR 1926.651 mandates safe entry and exit points within 25 lateral feet of workers in trenches four feet deep or more.
- Houston-area contractors have faced steep penalties for trench safety violations before, including $257,811 in fines against Richmond-based Hurtado Construction Co. in March 2024 following a fatal trench collapse near Fulshear.
- Any OSHA inquiry into the Tomball site would fall under the agency’s Houston North Area Office, and it remains unclear whether a formal investigation will be opened.
Forestry Contractor Ordered to Pay $150K Over Death of Worker
- Dannevirke District Court in New Zealand has ordered a forestry contractor to pay 260,000 New Zealand dollars ($150,500) in fines and restitution for the November 2023 death of his worker who was struck by a falling tree limb and fell to his death from a cliff while working alone and unsupervised.
- The case was prosecuted by WorkSafe NZ before Dannevirke District Court, which ordered forestry contractor Trevor Beale to pay NZ$254,740 in reparation to Debenham’s family, NZ $1,000 in legal costs, and a NZ $5,000 fine, after being charged under sections of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 for failing to ensure worker safety in a way that exposed someone to risk of death or serious injury.
- The prosecution found Beale failed to take four reasonably practicable steps: confirming Debenham’s experience, training, and qualifications; completing an adequate induction; ensuring appropriate supervision; and implementing a proper check-in and check-out procedure for someone working alone.
- WorkSafe central region manager Nigel Formosa said the case offers broader lessons for the forestry sector, emphasizing that businesses must have reliable check-in systems for remote or solo workers rather than merely assuming arrangements are in place.