Ohio Welder Dies from Electrocution in West Carrollton Recycling Center

Ohio Man Dies On The Job After He Is Electrocuted At West Carrollton Recycling Center

In a shocking accident that hits close to home, an Ohio man from West Carrollton was killed on October 16th in a factory accident at a West Carrollton recycling facilty. The man’s death was the result of an industrial accident at Cohen Recycling Center on Farmersville-West Carrollton Road. The man, Geoffrey Garnett, 33, was a welder for Cohen and traveled between several locations working on electrical equipment, WDTN reports.

According to Montgomery county investigators and coroners, the man died around 3:30 PM of apparent electrocution, WDTN 2 News reports. According to the data reported by OSHA, the company had electrical violations in 2013, but the issues were resolved. In 2013, the company that owns Choen, Metal Shredders Inc., was cited for both “wiring design and protection” and “guarding floor and wall openings and holes” violations. The company was charged a pentalty of $7,650, but ended up settling with OSHA for a total fine of $2,600. Cohen itself does not have a history of direct OSHA violations, WDTN reports. [
http://wdtn.com/2014/10/16/osha-industrial-accident-turns-deadly/, October 2014] [http://wdtn.com/2014/10/17/location-of-welders-death-has-previous-osha-violations/, October 2014]

The following Friday, OSHA sent an investigator to the facility to determine if the accident was preventable or the result of non-compliance with OSHA regulations. OSHA found evidence that over 1,000 volts of power were involved in the accident that ultimately led to Garnett’s death. According to WDTN, OSHA’s full investigation could take months. Standard OSHA policy is to spend some time after fatal accidents investigating the cause and improving the safety of the workplace to prevent future accidents, according to Wright and Schulte.

The company released the following statement about the accident:

“First and foremost we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a Cohen employee. We consider all of our employees part of the Cohen family. We are committed to gathering all of the facts surrounding today’s tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is suffering this loss with us.”

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio sees between 100 and 200 workplace fatalities per year. In 2013, Ohio had 148 workplace fatalities. 19 of those were in the manufacturing industry and 30 resulted from contact with objects and equipment. [http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2013/iiffw39.htm, October 2014]

Contact:
Wright & Schulte LLC
865 S. Dixie Dr.
Vandalia, Ohio 45377
1-800-399-0795

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