Safety violations at a 3M plant in Wisconsin contributed to the death of a worker in May, according to findings from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A 57-year-old Iowa woman was killed in an industrial accident at the plant in Prairie du Chien. An investigation by OSHA found company safety violations contributed to the accident that led the woman to be caught in a machine's rotating rollers while she was helping set up a plastic extrusion line.
The investigation found the company failed to use safety control steps for workers setting up the line by hand. It also found the company allowed workers to circumvent machine guarding on rotating powered rollers.
"The tragedy of another employee’s death in Wisconsin is compounded by the fact that the 3M Company completed a corporate-wide review and determined powered rollers were hazards in need of safety improvements," OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan said in a formal statement. "The company must address these hazards immediately to protect employees from serious injuries or worse."
The incident followed the company’s assessment of equipment at its U.S. and Canadian plants in May 2022 after a fatality at a 3M facility in Alexandria, Minnesota, in February 2022, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Source: wpr.org
Photo Credit: 3M Company
Categories: Wisconsin, Business