GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WFRV) – Investigators with the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have proposed a six-figure fine to a Grand Chute manufacturer for the death of one of their workers in 2023.
According to a release, federal investigators have concluded that Konz Wood Products failed to train employees in machine safety procedures and ensure the procedures were followed. Officials believe this failure contributed to the death of 57-year-old Francis L. Wolfinger of Kaukauna.
Wolfinger died after being hit by the carriage of a lumber stacking machine back on December 5, 2023. Investigators say the company had not made sure the machine was locked out to prevent movement while the employee removed a board jammed in the machine. As he freed the board, the metal carriage moved, striking him and causing severe crushing injuries.
The stacker machine’s metal carriage moves boards onto pallets for transport, pushing and lowering each row of wood onto a pallet upon completion.
The fatal incident marked the fifth opening of an inspection since 2016 at Konz’s Grand Chute plant. The agency cited the company in 2019 after inspectors identified four serious violations, including one related to required lockout/tagout procedures and another related to lack of fall protection.
“Federal safety procedures protect workers from the dangers of coming in contact with moving machine parts, but when employers fail to train workers or ensure procedures are followed, workers are at risk for serious or fatal injuries,” said OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wisconsin. “Konz Wood Products and Wisconsin’s entire lumber and wood products industry must work to improve employee safety by guarding machines during normal production and locking out and tagging equipment during maintenance.”
OSHA inspectors issued Konz Wood Products two repeat violations for lacking lockout/tagout procedures and failing to provide fall protection when employees worked above dangerous machinery.
In addition, the agency cited the company for 15 serious violations for lack of point-of-operation and machine guarding on table saws, band saws, shaft ends, chains, and sprockets. Inspectors also noted a lack of fall protection, including missing staircase handrails, electrical hazards, and oxygen tanks stored unsafely.
For its continued workplace safety failures, OSHA has placed Konz Wood Products in the agency’s severe violator program and proposed $177,453 in penalties.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
