OSHA reaches settlement with Jindal Tubular to correct safety failures that led to worker’s death

The U.S. Department of Labor reached a settlement with a Jindal Tubular at the Hancock County’ Port Bienville that the department says has a long history of safety failures to correct recent conditions that led to a 25-year-old employee’s fatal injuries in January in Bay Saint Louis.

An investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Jindal Tubular USA LLC had not established safe practices for storing and stacking pipes, resulting in a tragic incident where 2,000-pound pipes collapsed, fatally injuring 25-year-old Tyde Woody  and causing 20-year-old Jamie Fredericks Jr. to lose both legs.

OSHA cited the company for failing to ensure stacked pipes were stable and secure against collapse. Inspectors also identified three repeat violations that included failing to provide machine guarding, inspect or test electrical insulating protective gloves periodically, and prevent slipping hazards.

In addition, the company was cited for 26 serious violations that included failing to ensure guardrails or covers were in place at open pits to protect employees from fall hazards, allowing accumulation of combustible dust on surfaces and failing to label exit doors to facilitate safe egress in the event of a fire.

“Jindal Tubular’s repeated failure to provide employees with a safe workplace has been truly disturbing,” said OSHA Area Office Director Courtney Bohannon in Jackson, Mississippi. “We hope this settlement signals a new willingness to make employee safety the centerpiece of its operations.”

As part of the agreement negotiated by OSHA and the Office of the Solicitor, Jindal Tubular USA will withdraw its challenge to the citations and pay $442,815 in penalties. In addition, the employer is obligated to do the following:

• Hire a professional third-party consultant to develop a comprehensive safety and health program that the employer will implement within 30 days.
• Allow the consultant to conduct monthly worksite audits and provide copies of the audits to OSHA.
• Provide safety training to all stacking yard employees.
• Upgrade electrical wiring and components in combustible dust areas.
• Employ at least one dedicated safety and health professional who has completed a 30-hour OSHA safety course on each shift.
• Report work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA on a quarterly basis for a period of three years and allow agency personnel to inspect without delay when a logged injury or illness occurs.

With the latest violations, Jindal Tubular USA has been cited for 46 OSHA safety violations in the last five years. The company manufactures and coats large diameter steel pipes at its 155-acre facility in Bay Saint Louis. Incorporated in 2014, the company has more than 400 employees.