Freres Lumber Co. was cited four times for safety and procedural violations uncovered during inspections launched after a worker died at its Mill City plant in September 2014, according to documents obtained by the Statesman Journal.
Bryan Dodge, a 34-year-old millwright, husband and father of four, was killed when a plywood press he was replacing a steam line for activated and pinned him between the press and a post.
According to a citation and notification of penalty report from the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, the machine lockout procedures that prevent equipment operation were not followed. The company did not have or follow uniform lockout procedures for operating or servicing the press.
Freres Lumber, a plywood and veneer producer since 1922, allegedly violated safety rules at least 14 times in the last 10 years, according to inspection data. The company was fined and cited in 2005 after an employee lost part of his hand while attempting to free debris from a wood chipper. In 2007, a $5,000 fine was levied and later dismissed by the Workers’ Compensation Board after a worker flagging log trucks was killed when a log truck backed up over him. In 2013, an employee operating a scissor lift was seriously injured when the lift malfunctioned, pinning his head and neck against the ceiling, leaving him with a broken jaw and vertebra.
From the Statesman Journal: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2015/08/06/freres-lumber-cited-multiple-times-worker-death/31201141/