Fabcon Precast Gets Max Penalty After Worker Crushed in Concrete Mixer

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On June 6, 2020, 20-year-old Zachary Ledbetter
was working as a batch operator at Fabcon

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Precast, a company that manufactures precast
concrete panels in Ohio.

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Ledbetter had been on the job for about 6
months.

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Batcher.
At Fabcon operate and clean the facility's only

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concrete mixer.
Concrete was discharged from the bottom of the

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mixer through a pneumatic door.

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The mixer had an exhaust valve that released
the pneumatic energy powering the discharge

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door, rendering it inoperable.
But at some point,

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the handle that operated the valve broke and
wasn't replaced.

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According to the Department of Justice,
Ledbetter was on duty when the discharge door

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failed to close after releasing a batch of
concrete.

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Because the valve was broken, Ledbetter
couldn't perform the proper procedure to make

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the door safe to work around.

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When he attempted to free the door, it closed
on his head,

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trapping him.
Ledbetter was freed and transported to a

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hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries five
days later.

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Fabcon precast.
A Delaware corporation that operates several

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facilities in the United States pleaded guilty
in federal court this February to willfully

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violating an OSHA rule, a criminal charge.

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Yesterday, Fabcon was ordered to pay a $500,000
fine, the statutory maximum.

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The company will also serve a 2 year
organizational probation and comply with a

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safety compliance plan.

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Special Agent in Charge Megan Howell of the
United States Department of Labor Office of

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Inspector General of the Great Lakes region
said the sentence highlights our steadfast.

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commitment to continue working with OSHA and
our law enforcement partners to hold

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accountable those who jeopardize workers'
safety.

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Federal law makes it a Class B misdemeanor to
willfully fail to follow an OSHA safety

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standard where the failure causes an employee
death.

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The misdemeanor is the only federal criminal
charge covering such safety violations.

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Fabcon Precast has not responded to our request
for comment.

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I'm David Manti.

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This is manufacturing now.