In South Dakota, federal investigators found multiple safety violations at a South Dakota ethanol refinery expansion project after a 38-year-old pipefitter suffered fatal burn injuries when ethanol spilled from a process pipe he was working on and was ignited by flames from nearby welding operations. On Nov. 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational […]
In South Dakota, OSHA is investigating the accidental death of a worker who was killed and another injured during a fire at POET’s biorefinery south of Hudson. The two workers were contracted by an outside company to do works on the facility. The worker who died sparked the fire while welding. The investigation into the […]
In Ohio, Three Rivers Energy LLC faces $149,800 in federal penalties after federal inspectors found multiple violations of chemical and grain-handling standards. On May 6, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 42 serious and four other-than serious safety and health violations following three separate inspections at the bio-refinery in November 2015. […]
In Georgia, the Occupational Safety and Hazard Agency has fined the Renewable Energy Group $70,000 with three “willful” safety violations— demonstrating “intentional disregard” or “plain indifference” to employee safety and health—over the September 2015 hydrogen explosion at its biodiesel plant in Geismar that injured four workers including one who was severely burned. The company disagrees […]
In Wisconsin, United Ethanol is contesting the allegations of safety violations and the related $140,000 in fines made by OSHA against its plant in Milton. The company said in a statement that it doesn’t believe the OSHA allegations can be proven. OSHA will now forward the case to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission […]
In Minnesota, OSHA has accused United Ethanol of 15 safety violations that may reach up to $140,000 in fines. The investigation came on the heals of an accident in April where a worker was killed after being buried in a grain silo at the company’s Milton plant. Included in the list of violations were five […]
