Woodland Pulp has 15 business days from receiving the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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Woodland Pulp faces $794,456 in penalties after federal investigators found the Baileyville paper mill willfully exposed workers to safety and health hazards that led to the deaths of two employees in January.
The incident occurred when a release of highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas killed a 20-year-old co-op chemical engineering student and a 26-year-old chemical engineer who had only recently joined the company. Another 10 employees were also exposed to the gas.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued four willful citations against the company for exposing workers to deadly hydrogen sulfide gas levels without proper alarms or breathing devices and for allowing overflow wood pulp to build up in storage areas.
Woodland Pulp also received eight serious citations for failing to train workers about hydrogen peroxide risks; failing to conduct medical evaluations and fit tests for respirator users; and failing to label chlorine and acid lines or control hydrogen sulfide exposure risks.
OSHA released its findings on Thursday.
Scott Beal, a spokesman for Woodland Pulp, said the company has received the OSHA document and is still reviewing it. With other related investigations pending, he said the company is holding off on further comments at this time.
Woodland Pulp has been inspected 13 times since 2017, resulting in 13 serious and one other-than-serious citation, including an inspection that began in 2017 after 14 employees were taken to the hospital following a chemical exposure in the same area covered by the current inspections.
Woodland Pulp has 15 business days from receiving the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
A spokesman for the company was not immediately available to comment.
A separate investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board remains underway. Earlier this month, the board released preliminary findings concluding that the fatal incident could have been prevented.
