Wilcox Farms Feedmill in Roy, Washington, has been cited by the Department of Labor and Industries for safety violations related to a fatal silo collapse in December 2013.
On the day of the collapse, two employees reportedly were discharging corn using an auger in the silo. The auger was not working, so the workers opened a side discharge door of the silo to allow corn to flow to the auger. This caused the 60-foot silo to collapse, burying worker Steve Green, 44, who was killed.
“ Worker fatalities are tragic and preventable,” said Anne Soiza, assistant director of L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health in a report. “Our state requires all employers to provide safe and healthy workplaces. We fully expect Wilcox will correct the hazards and practices that haven’t been fixed already to ensure their employees are as safe as can be.”
Wilcox has been cited for one “willful” and two “serious” safety violations with penalties of $67,200. The state investigation found shortcomings in how the company maintained and managed the silo, and inadequate employee training. Wilcox Farms has 15 working days to appeal the citation.
