Domtar agrees to $7,500 fine Washington County firm reaches tentative deal with OSHA

BAILEYVILLE – The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reached an informal settlement agreement with Washington County’s largest employer, Domtar Inc.

The company has tentatively agreed to pay $7,500 in fines for several “serious” violations that OSHA found in the mill. The fine could have been as high as $17,000.

Scott Beal, manager of compliance and technologies, said Tuesday that the investigation began last year.

“This goes back to an investigation that was a referral that started in September,” he said. “Then [OSHA investigators] came to visit us for periods in October and then again in November.”

Beal said company officials worked closely with the federal agency. “And I think it painted a pattern of cooperation and responsiveness to the agency,” he said. “I think that was taken into an account. … These things, sometimes they’re painful but they always contribute to making you a better institution and a better facility.”

OSHA investigators issued a comprehensive 12-page agreement.

Among the violations, an investigator noted that a forklift truck operator was not wearing a seat belt. OSHA also noted that forklift drivers did not sound their horns at locations where materials on pallets were stored on the sides of the aisle.

OSHA inspectors also found problems with the workroom floors. “Standing water was present throughout the ground level,” the agreement said.

The inspectors also said that the mill had some raised platforms that were four feet or more above the ground and not outfitted with standard railings.

Among the other violations:

. An extension cord was being used in a wet location and the plug showed evidence of an electrical burn.

. The company did not maintain a complete OSHA log of its employees’ injuries and illnesses.

. Domtar did not label an asbestos roof with the appropriate warning labels.

Domtar agreed to post a copy of the OSHA settlement agreement in a prominent place.

It has been a tough few weeks for mill employees. Last week, mill manager Debby Feck, 44, abruptly resigned with little or no information as to what she planned to do. All company officials would say was that the former mill manager had resigned to “pursue other opportunities.”