Worker’s death to bring fine by OSHA ($75,000)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article214236.ece

Norampac faces $75,000 penalty

By Nancy A. Fischer and Matt Glynn

NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

Published:October 8, 2010, 12:00 AM Updated: October 8, 2010, 6:33 AM

NIAGARA FALLS — A federal agency announced Thursday that it plans to fine a Porter Road paper mill $75,000 after the death of a company worker May 12 and an investigation afterward that showed “repeat and serious violations” of workplace safety standards.

Peter Q. Neville, 40, was killed at the Norampac Industries containerboard plant when he was crushed between a metal wall and a 5,000-pound roll of paper that was moving on a conveyor belt.

His wife, Mara, said she has contacted a lawyer and is speaking out now to underline the importance of workplace safety and to let others know what a wonderful husband and father was lost last spring.

“This just wasn’t a statistic,” she said. “This was a man with three children, a man who graduated from Canisius College, a man who adored his family.”

The U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Department inspected the Norampac plant after the accident.

“Our inspections found that the area where the moving paper roll and the barrier intersected lacked guarding to prevent employees from being caught between the two objects,” said Arthur Dube, OSHA’s area director in Buffalo. “Proper and effective machine guarding is essential to protecting workers against serious injury or death.”

FULL story at link.

[McCamy Taylor]

1. But..but "protecting workers against serious injury or death" is BAD for the economy.