Fertilizer blenders killed a Florida worker. Here’s how much OSHA wants to fine company
A Mulberry-based fertilizer company neglected “basic safety measures” in the death of a 29-year-old woman working at one of its plants, an area director for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.
That area director is Tampa’s Danelle Jindra, the company is Mosaic Fertilizer, and Jindra’s statement was in the U.S. Department of Labor announcement about the proposed $30,649 fine for the company’s violations leading to Jameka Williams’ death on July 12.
Williams was at Mosaic’s New Wales plant in Mulberry when OSHA said she “was retrieving a sample of fertilizer for analysis when she was pulled into the mixer. [Williams] was struck by and crushed by the mixer, resulting in fatal dismemberment injuries.”
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The two violations, both classified as Serious, in OSHA’s Citation and Notification of Penalty:
▪ Mosaic “did not ensure that one or more methods of machine guarding were provided to protect employees from the rotation motion of the East Ribbon Blender.”
▪ Mosaic “did not ensure that one or more methods of machine guarding were provided to protect employees from the rotation motion of the West Ribbon Blender.”
The two ribbons are involved in mixing fertilizer with coating oil.
Mosaic hasn’t answered an email or phone call from the Miami Herald seeking comment.
“This unfortunate incident could have been prevented had Mosaic Fertilizer LLC ensured all machines were secured and guarded,” Jindra said. “In this case, the employer failed to protect workers as the law requires. No employee should lose their life because an employer neglects basic safety measures.”
To file a complaint with the Occupational Safety Health Administration, either go to the website or phone 800-321-6742 (OSHA).
