Mercury fined for equipment violations
FOND DU LAC, Wis. – Mercury Marine will pay $7,000 in penalties for equipment violations related to a circular saw an employee was using when he suffered a fatal accident at the plant Dec. 4, according to a story published in the Fond Du Lac Reporter yesterday.
A three-part citation, categorized as “serious” by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was issued Dec. 15, following an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dwayne Shepro, who died from internal bleeding as a result of blunt force trauma, the newspaper reported.
Shepro was cutting a board while working alone on a Saturday shift when a piece of the board “blew back and hit him in the right abdomen,” according to the newspaper.
Mercury officials will not contest the citation and will review all procedures and equipment related to the accident, Mercury communications manager Clay Galliard told the newspaper.
All three parts of the citation relate to safety equipment that was not on the machine at the time Shepro was using it, the newspaper reported.
“Safety has always been of paramount concern at Mercury Marine and will continue to be,” said Human Resources vice president Dennis Rooney in a company statement, quoted by the Reporter. “We are taking the necessary steps to make sure all equipment requiring guards or shields will have those devices in place, or else the equipment will not be used by our employees. The loss of Mr. Shepro is a tragedy for his family and the Mercury Marine family, and our thoughts remain with everyone who continues to mourn the loss.”
The citation states that the violations must be corrected by Dec. 28.
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