Federal workplace safety investigators found that a construction company’s failure to prevent sudden start-up of a conveyor system contributed to an 18-year-old worker’s fatal injuries after he was pulled into a hot asphalt silo as he tried to remove debris from the conveyor in Oklahoma City on Nov. 2, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) opened an inspection at TJ Campbell Construction and determined the conveyor system was not locked out/tagged out to avoid accidental startups. OSHA issued willful citations for failing to develop and use procedures for controlling hazardous energy when servicing or cleaning the asphalt conveyor system, and not training workers adequately on requirements for controlling hazardous energy.
“A young worker was barely three months on the job when his life was tragically cut short,” said OSHA area director Steven Kirby in Oklahoma City. “Had TJ Campbell Construction Company provided their workers with the required training on controlling hazardous energy and ensuring proper shutdown before any attempt to remove debris was made, this young man would have ended his workday safely.”
In addition to the willful citations, OSHA cited the company for the following:
- Permitting unguarded pulleys, chain and sprockets on walking and working surfaces.
- Failing to apply energy isolation devices.
- Missing handrails on stairways.
- Uncovered holes in the floor of walking working surfaces.
TJ Campbell Construction faces proposed penalties totaling $370,347.
Based in Edmond, T.J. Campbell Construction, a subsidiary of DUIT Holdings, is an asphalt and concrete paving contractor. The company has experience with highway, street, and site infrastructure for commercial developments, as well as construction services for construction and reconstruction.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Source: OSHA Region 6
