OSHA: Safety violations at Alabama paper mill caused fatal electrocution
Inspection finds company ignored hazard control procedures
Federal workplace safety inspectors examining how a 36-year-old worker suffered fatal electrocution in a Maplesville, Alabama paper mill found his employer willfully violating safety standards, including disregarding hazardous energy control procedures that protect employees performing maintenance on machinery.
An OSHA investigation into the Sept. 28, 2022, incident found a three-person team of employees of South Coast Paper LLC was working on a line of a sheeter machine – a system of six machines connected by metal conveyors that transforms paper rolls into copier paper – when they noticed one of the conveyor belts had stopped. During actions to replace the belt's motor – without de-energizing the machines in use – a hot wire made contact with the ground and energized the machine. The 36-year-old worker suffered electrocution when he grabbed a metal rail connected to the conveyor system.