Mass. company pleads guilty to OSHA violation that led to employee's death

"Prosecutors said the company was using a large soil screener, weighing nearly 36,000 pounds, to process soil and other materials. Part of the machine, known as the tail conveyor, weighed about 1,500 pounds and could be raised or lowered during operation. Court records show the tail conveyor had unexpectedly closed on several occasions in the years leading up to the deadly incident, and that the machine had previously suffered a ruptured hydraulic pressure line."

"On Sept. 6, 2023, an employee was working alongside a company co-owner on the tail conveyor while it was in an open position. Prosecutors said there was no safety device in place to prevent the conveyor from closing. As the worker attempted to remove a bolt, the tail conveyor suddenly closed, crushing the man's head. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward."

"Several local media outlets identified the worker as Josué Tiquiram, a migrant from Guatemala. According to a 2023 report by The New Bedford Light, Tiquiram had left his home country to find work in the U.S. about 18 months before his death. His uncle, Maximo Tiquiram Quinilla, told the outlet that he was working alongside his nephew at the time and witnessed the incident."

John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc. pleaded guilty in federal court to willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards after a worker was fatally injured by heavy machinery at a company worksite in 2023. The company admitted through its president that a nearly 36,000-pound soil screener with a roughly 1,500-pound tail conveyor lacked a safety device to prevent unexpected closure. Court records documented prior instances of the conveyor closing and a ruptured hydraulic pressure line. On Sept. 6, 2023, the conveyor closed while a worker attempted to remove a bolt, crushing his head. The company faces probation, fines, and restitution to the victim's estate.

Read at Boston.com