A recap of 2021’s biggest fines includes two companies that each had to pay more than $1 million following tragic fatalities on their worksites, and a few who racked up major fines by repeatedly ignoring federal or state safety and health mandates.
Top 5 Most Expensive Fines for 2021
- OSHA fined a water utilities construction company almost $1.3 million following the deaths of two workers at a Boston dig site. The workers died when a dump truck struck them both, pushing them into a nine-foot deep trench at a sewer repair site in Boston.
- An Ohio aluminum parts manufacturer with a history of safety violations was fined $1.2 million by OSHA after a fatal incident at its plant. The fine follows an investigation into the death of a 43-year-old worker who was struck and killed March 30 by a machine’s barrier door.
- OSHA cited an Ohio paint manufacturer following an explosion at its Columbus plant that killed one worker and injured eight others. The incident was caused by an improperly altered kettle reactor vessel that released a flammable vapor cloud when its manway cover and gasket failed. The initial fine was $709,960.
- A Wisconsin grain facility was cited by OSHA after the engulfment death of a manager in a corn silo. The manager was last seen clearing corn debris from the silo. Employees called 911 after he didn’t show up for a regularly scheduled meeting or answer his phone. The initial fine was $676,808.
- After six workers died from a liquid nitrogen leak that displaced the oxygen in the room they were working in, four companies were fined for the roles they played in the tragic incident. The four companies received $998,637 in penalties with the facility owner having to pay $595,474 of the total.
