$164,000 fine proposed for water bottling company after fatal accident 

OSHA has cited Mountain Pure MS and proposed penalties totaling $164,150 following the investigation of a fatal May 24 accident at the company's Magee, Mississippi, facility.

OSHA's investigation revealed that employees were routinely allowed to operate unguarded machinery and to service and repair equipment while machinery was energized. The fatality occurred when a worker was caught in an unguarded palletizer, part of a conveyer system used to move pallets.

The company received two willful citations directly related to the fatal accident, each with a proposed penalty of $49,000 for the failure to train employees and develop energy control procedures that rendered machinery inoperable during repair, maintenance or servicing, and for the failure to install machine guards on moving parts of equipment. There were also 28 serious citations, with penalties totaling $66,150 for safety and health hazards, including lack of eye wash stations and personal protective equipment for employees working with corrosive materials and the lack of a hearing conservation program. The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Reprinted with permission. © CCH

OSHA has cited Mountain Pure MS and proposed penalties totaling $164,150 following the investigation of a fatal May 24 accident at the company's Magee, Mississippi, facility.