OSHA blasts MS Coast company, announces settlement. Here are details of huge fine, more

Steel pipe manufacturer Jindal Tubular USA agreed this month to enact new safety rules and pay thousands in penalties after a falling pipe killed one employee and crushed another in Hancock County this year.

Jindal and the U.S. Department of Labor decided on those terms after the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the site at Port Bienville. The Department of Labor said it found a “long history of safety failures” that led to the death of Tyde Woody, 25, of Diamondhead.

Woody died after a 2,000 pound pipe fell on him and 20-year-old Jamie Fredericks, another Jindal employee. Fredericks survived but suffered pelvic and spinal fractures and had both legs amputated.

Woody graduated from Bay High School in Bay St. Louis. He loved playing basketball with friends and spending time with his daughter, his obituary says.

“He was a wonderful and loving father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, and cousin,” it says, “who will be sadly missed by his family and friends.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, found Jindal did not safely store and stack the pipes. The Department of Labor announced the findings and settlement last week.

Courtney Bohannon, director for OSHA’s Jackson office, called the safety violations “truly disturbing” and said in a statement that Jindal had repeatedly failed to protect employees.

“We hope this settlement signals a new willingness to make employee safety the centerpiece of its operations,” Bohannon said.

A person who answered Jindal’s phone Monday morning said no one at the company could talk “at this time.”

OSHA finds violations

Jindal makes large steel pipes and has been a tenant of the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission since 2014. It employs over 400 people, according to OSHA. It’s website says the company is “founded on trust and transparency,” and that integrity, safety and social responsibility are among values the company considers “not merely guidelines, but mandates.”

OSHA said Jindal has racked up 46 violations over the last five years.

Woody and Fredericks were getting ready to stack steel pipes the morning of Jan. 19 when they removed a chock block from another stack, which then collapsed, according to the OSHA investigation. It says the pipes were 30 inches wide and 40 feet long.

OSHA began an inspection the day of the accident that found three repeat violations.

The inspection says Jindal put employees at risk for electric shock because it gave them high voltage gloves to wear to work on electric lines but did not inspect and test the gloves as required.

It says Jindal did not install safety guards that would have protected employees from rotating parts, flying chips and sparks on several machines.

And it says Jindal did not clear small pellets from one area of the floor, which made the ground slippery close to a machine.

OSHA also found 26 violations it called “serious.” Those included failing to make sure guardrails protected employees from falling, letting combustible dust accumulate on surfaces and not labeling exit doors that would help employees get out in case of a fire.

What Jindal Tubular must do

The Department of Labor said Jindal must pay $442,815 in penalties. It also said Jindal will withdraw its challenge to the OSHA citations.

The agreement means Jindal must start enforcing several new safety rules.

Jindal must hire a third-party consultant to create a safety and health program within a month. That consultant will write monthly audits and give them to OSHA.

Jindal also must give safety training to employees at the stacking yard. It is required to upgrade electrical wiring in areas with combustible dust. At least one person who has done a 30-hour OSHA safety course must be hired to work on each shift. Jindal has to report all work related injuries and illnesses quarterly to OSHA for three years, and let OSHA inspect immediately if any employee gets hurt.

Port supports settlement

Blaine LaFontaine, executive director of the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, said the agency is aware of the settlement but has no jurisdiction over Jindal.

“We believe the appropriate authorities have investigated the incident,” he said. “We support those recommendations.”

The commission owns and operates Port Bienville and leases to several industrial tenants. LaFontaine said Jindal’s OSHA violations would not affect its lease, which was agreed on in a previous contract. He said the commission has no safety oversight but wants to work with Jindal, advocate for tenants’ compliance with federal laws and help train and develop the workforce.

Sun Herald staff writer Anita Lee contributed reporting.

This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 11:22 AM.