SMITHFIELD – The concrete company where a 33-year-old worker from Burrillville died in last year is now facing roughly $43,000 in citations and fines, with investigators saying the tragedy could have been avoided.
Matthew Maynard of Burrillville suffered fatal injuries after the drum of the cement truck he was working on began turning and trapped him. According to officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the mixing fins inside the truck struck Maynard’s head.
OSHA cited Greenville Ready Mix Concrete Products Inc. in the death, noting that the Smithfield-based business did not establish a lockout/tagout program to prevent the cement truck drum from operating while employees serviced it. Federal officials also said the company failed to train employees on lockout/tagout procedures.
“This tragedy highlights the dangers of not ensuring lockout/tagout procedures are implemented before workers begin servicing machinery,” Providence area OSHA Director Robert Sestito said in a release on Wednesday, March 16. “Complying with OSHA standards is not optional. Employers have an obligation to abate all hazards to protect the safety and health of their workers.”
The business received a $43,506 fine and a total of six citations, including other health and safety violations, such as not ensuring workers used fall protection, and exposing employees to silica dust.
“Complying with OSHA standards is not optional,” Sestito said. “Employers have an obligation to abate all hazards to protect the safety and health of their workers.”
Greenville Ready Mix now has 15 business days to contest the findings, request an informal conference or comply with the citations and fines.
