JEFFERSON CITY — Six months after a worker died in northern Missouri, federal labor officials have charged a mill owner with more than 50 health and safety violations.
On Monday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Department of Labor issued a letter of censure against Donald A. Gibson, owner of the Missouri Mats lumber mill in Adare County, east of Kirksville.
Gibson faces a fine of nearly $350,000.
The agency's investigation began after 21-year-old Brandon Folsom died in January at a plant in Brashear.
Adair County Coroner Brian Noe told KTVO in Kirksville that Folsom was stabbed to death with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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OSHA said Folsom had been on the job less than a month and was still learning to use the saw when he got stuck in the vertical rotating blades.
The agency said Gibson failed to notify OSHA of the deaths, delaying OSHA's investigation into the matter by a week.
During a re-inspection in March, officials found that Gibson did not follow required controls and procedures for the saw and that workers continued to operate the saw, resulting in the worker's death.
"After a young man — new to the job — died from traumatic injuries, Don Gibson and the Missouri Mats management team continued to use lethal equipment without taking adequate precautions to eliminate the risk and protect workers," the statement said. . "There is a life-threatening hazard in the lumber and logging industry, and it is imperative that Gibson and others in the industry comply with federal safety standards," said Billy Kizer, OSHA Regional Administrator.
Inspectors also observed workers under the age of 18 working in a timber factory and driving heavy trucks. Federal law prohibits minors from working in hazardous occupations.
In a notice sent to Gibson on Monday, OSHA cited the company for a number of safety violations, including allowing saw blades, rollers, belts and woodworking machinery to operate without guards.
The plant was found to expose workers to electrical hazards, uneven workplaces that could lead to falls, inadequate training, a lack of firefighters and a worker protection program, exposing workers to loud noises and flying debris.
Workers using saws in a sawmill's main building may not be able to turn off the power without leaving their work area, which could pose a cut hazard, OSHA reported in a news release.
Another OSHA says, “Employees are exposed to fire and explosion hazards. Dry sawdust has been observed to form flammable and explosive dust when installed in raised areas greater than 1.5 inches deep.
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Under the terms of the subpoena, the Missouri Mets have until July 25 to correct the errors or dispute the findings.
Efforts to reach Gibson on Thursday were unsuccessful. Records show he runs the Tri-State Lumber Mill in Memphis, northeast of Kirksville.
