Trump to Visit Company Where Worker Was Killed After Company Removed Machine Guard

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Trump to Visit Company Where Worker Was Killed After Company Removed Guard

August 30, 2017

Donald Trump is on his way to Springfield, Missouri today to deliver a major speech about tax cuts reform at the Loren Cook company. Loren Cook, one of Springfield’s largest companies, manufactures fans, blowers, gravity vents and laboratory exhaust systems and employees 1,000 workers.

And the company’s executives are big Trump supporters:

Loren Cook II, vice-president of the company, contributed $2,700 in the 2016 presidential cycle, and $100 in the 2020 cycle, the News-Leader reported last week.

Gerald “Chip” Cook Jr., contributed $2,700 in the 2016 cycle.

Company officials invested nearly a quarter of a million dollars in Missouri politics in the 2016 election cycle, supporting candidates including U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, Gov. Eric Greitens, gubernatorial candidate John Brunner, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, former Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Springfield Councilwoman Kristi Fulnecky.

Loren Cook II also contributed to the Black Conservatives Fund.

But Loren Cook is famous, or infamous for another reason. In 2009, OSHA cited Loren Cook Co. with seven alleged willful and three alleged serious violations after a lathe operator was killed when a rotating metal object broke free from the machine, flew at 50 to 70 miles per hour and struck the operator in the head. The company had previously removed a guard from the machine. The total penalty was $511,000, one of OSHA’s largest cases that year. According to an OSHA Press Release:

“Loren Cook Co. willfully allowed its employees to work on dangerous equipment without safeguarding the machinery and exposed workers to debris ejected while operating manual spinning lathes,” said acting Assistant Secretary for OSHA Jordan Barab. “It is imperative that employers take steps to eliminate hazards and provide a safe working environment.”

Seven instance-by-instance willful citations at $70,000 each are proposed for failing to guard seven manual spinning lathes, with a total proposed willful penalty of $490,000. OSHA issues a willful violation when an employer exhibits plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.Three serious citations with penalties totaling $21,000 are proposed for a lack of adequate personal protective equipment for workers’ faces, extremities and hands. OSHA issues a serious citation when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which an employer knew or should have known.

[exboyfil]

1. Don't worry though

they have a justice (Gorsuch) who will explain how it is always the employee's fault.

I am sure in the famous case of the freezing trucker that, if the family had brought a wrongful death suit if he stayed in place, Gorsuch would have recommended that the trucker disengage his load and drive to get refueled and then return to his load (what he actually did). Doing anything else would be showing disregard for his own safety and not worthy of any sort of compensation.