Jasper County Trailer Manufacturer Fined in Death of Worker
(photo courtesy of Talbert Manufacturing)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA manufacturing company in Rensselaer has been fined nearly $150,000 by the State of Indiana for alleged safety violations. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report Talbert Manufacturing was fined by the Indiana Department of Labor for what the agency calls “serious and willful” safety violations after a worker’s death on the job in September.
Talbert manufactures heavy-haul and specialized trailers.
The publication identified the worker as Mike Elston, a welder at the company. The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched a safety investigation following the death last September.
According to the paper, IOSHA found five safety violations on a company vehicle, which may have played a role in the death of the employee.
“Employees were exposed to struck-by hazards due to powered industrial trucks being operated when in need of repair of items such as, but not limited to, improperly functioning horns,” according to the state’s safety order.
Several of the violations led to individual $4,000 fines, but a new state law that went into effect last year increased the maximum penalty to $132,598 for a worker death that followed an employer knowingly violating safety regulations, according to The Times.
The paper reports the company did not respond to requests seeking comment.