Ever since the Imperial Sugar plant in Port Wentworth, Georgia, was destroyed in a massive blast caused by “combustible dust” — an explosion that killed 13 workers and led to nationwide inquiries about the risks posed by this threat — we’ve been waiting to see what penalties the Federal government would levy on the company for its carelessness.
Today we found out. According to the Associated Press, OSHA has proposed to hit Imperial Sugar with massive fines:
Federal officials proposed more than $8.7 million in fines Friday against Imperial Sugar Co. for violations at a Georgia plant where an explosion this year killed 13 people and at another plant in Louisiana.
The fines would be the third-highest in the history of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and include $5 million for the explosion near Savannah and $3.7 million for the plant in Gramercy, La., where authorities found violations a month after the Feb. 7 blast in Georgia that injured dozens of workers.
OSHA found 120 violations against the Georgia plant, including 61 that are considered egregious and 91 violations against the Louisiana plant, including 47 egregious ones, according to a report of the agency’s investigation.
“It’s pretty stiff,” Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston said of the proposed fines. “The third-highest penalty in OSHA’s history is certainly a very bad thing to happen, but it underscores the tragedy.”
Join us in demanding that new standards be implemented to prevent future combustible dust tragedies like the Imperial Sugar explosion: sign the petition today!
UPDATE (July 28): Good coverage of this story from the Associated Press and the New York Times.
