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Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding partner
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reached a settlement with Imperial Sugar for safety lapses at two Imperial Sugar plants. At one plant, in 2008, the safety violations caused a sugar-dust explosion which killed 14 workers. OSHA had previously warned Imperial Sugar about allowing sugar dust to build up in its plants.
The accumulated sugar, which is combustible, in Imperial Sugar’s 92-year-old plant exploded like gunpowder on February 7, 2008. The federal Chemical Safety Board said the explosion was “entirely preventable”. Imperial Sugar failed to admit liability in settling OSHA’s complaint against it.
Another 18 of the workers injured or killed and their families have settled lawsuits they filed against Imperial Sugar.
Thousands of Americans are killed every year as result of preventable workplace “accidents”. Employers must do more to protect their workers. And, of course, people and safety must be placed above profits.
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About the author:
Mr. Zambri is a board-certified civil trial attorney by the National Board of Trial Advocates and a Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. He has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a “Big Gun” and among the “top 1%” of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as “one of Washington’s best–most honest and effective lawyers” who specializes in personal injury matters, including automobile collisions, medical malpractice, premises liability, product liability, and workers’-compensation claims. Mr. Zambri has also been named a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyer magazine (March/April 2010)–a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.
If you have any questions about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at [email protected] or call him at 202-822-1899.
