Company settles industrial mill accident case involving fatal injuries

Workplace Safety - Federal
Company pays $266k to family of worker killed in accident at mill

The family of a man who died in a workplace accident received a $266,418 settlement from his employer. On Jan. 20, 2007, Jose Luis Flores Guadarrama was working at the Southern Hardwood Co. mill in Zavalla. He was operating a board edger when the machine "shot back" and a board struck him in the chest, causing fatal injuries. Following his death, investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited the site and found that it was in violation of numerous federal regulations. Guadarrama's wife blamed Southern Hardwood for her husband's death, citing the OSHA investigators' report which mentioned, among other things, the company's failure to maintain its equipment, inadequate safety warnings and lack of safety guards. Southern Hardwood denied the allegations, but ultimately agreed to the settlement in mediation.

Gonzalez v. Southern Hardwood Co. LLC