A Massachusetts-based concrete company has agreed to pay a large fine after multiple safety standard violations resulted in a worker being crushed to death.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete was using a large soil screener with a tail conveyer that could be placed in a vertical closed position or opened to an approximate 45-degree angle. The complaint alleges that on several occasions, the conveyor closed unexpectedly, resulting in a ruptured hydraulic pressure line.
In September 2023, a company employee was helping the company co-owner operate the tail conveyor of the soil screener, which was in the open position with no equipment in place to keep it from closing. According to court documents, the employee tried to remove a bolt when the conveyor closed unexpectedly, crushing the employee’s head. The complaint said the worker suffered “massive head trauma and was pronounced dead soon thereafter.”
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According to MassLive, an OSHA investigation found that the company failed to provide isolated power controls for the conveyor, and locks, tags or other hardware to isolate, secure or block machines and equipment from their energy sources to prevent sudden starts or moves.
The company was also accused of not properly maintaining the soil screener or forbidding employees from riding in a front-end loader’s bucket, which exposed them to crush and fall hazards.
John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete now faces up to five years of probation, up to $500,000 in fines and restitution payments to the estate of the deceased worker.
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