A seafood processing plant faces $66,800 in OSHA fines after a worker was crushed to death in an ice machine.
Joseph Teixeira was killed at the Northern Wind facility in New Bedford, MA, while performing maintenance work inside a large, industrial, ice-making machine.
The machine was activated while Teixeira was inside, and he was caught in the moving parts. An autopsy determined the cause of death was asphyxiation because of chest compression.
OSHA found that the plant lacked procedures to power down and lock out the ice machine before employees entered it.
Northern Wind faces 19 serious and 4 other-than-serious citations. It has 15 days to contest the fines.
