Investigations continue in Danville deaths

DANVILLE, Va. (May 5, 2016) — Goodyear, the United Steelworkers union, the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health agency and local police officials are all conducting investigations into the recent death of a worker at Goodyear's Danville tire plant.

The April 12 fatality, of maintenance mechanic Charles (Greg) Cooper, was the second in two weeks and the third in eight months at the 50-year-old Danville truck and aircraft tire plant.

Mr. Cooper died from burns and drowning, according to the office of the chief medical examiner in Roanoke, Va. The 52-year-old Martinsville, Va., resident had worked at the factory for 18 years, a company spokeswoman said.

In a prepared statement issued shortly after the latest accident, Goodyear said the plant's “on-site emergency response team, as well as local emergency personnel responded immediately, and all parties are cooperating in the investigation into the root cause of the incident.”

It said the company “is taking this matter very seriously” and reported the death to OSHA, which in turn launched its inspection of the facility.

Goodyear temporarily closed the Danville plant to complete a full evaluation of the factory and thoroughly investigate the incident, it said. The shutdown occurred April 12, and the plant reopened on April 15.

“Our hearts go out to the family, friends and co-workers of the employee during this very difficult time,” the company said.

In a second statement, plant Manufacturing Director Greg Kerr said the company's “immediate priority is to provide support and assistance to Greg's family, as well as the entire team of associates in the Danville plant as we cope with the loss of a teammate.”

On the day the factory resumed normal operations, Goodyear issued another statement noting that the investigations are ongoing.

“As associates return to their jobs,” the tire maker said in the statement, “the plant team will be keeping the safety and well-being of our associates as the highest priority.

“At the start of each shift, plant associates participated in a two-hour safety meeting where they were given the opportunity to ask questions and share any comments they may have.”

Goodyear also continued to provide counselors onsite throughout the following week.

The Goodyear spokeswoman said the company will not provide further comment on the active investigations or the first accident at the factory in August 2015.

Mike Wright, director of health, safety and environment for the United Steelworkers, said the union was conducting a joint investigation with the tire maker into what caused the latest fatality and the accident that led to the death March 31 of another plant employee — 54-year-old Kevin Edmonds — in an industrial accident.

An autopsy revealed that the cause of Mr. Edmonds' death was asphyxiation.

The USW sent an investigator to the Danville plant immediately after it learned about the accident, he said.

“We look at root causes and other contributing factors,” Mr. Wright said. OSHA, on the other hand, is primarily looking at violations of standards.

“There are lots of issues that must be reviewed,” he said, adding that he could not supply further specifics about the probe at this point. The investigation, while not complete, will be thorough, he added. He did not have a timetable on when he thought the probe would be complete.

Jennifer L. Rose, Virginia Occupational Safety and Health safety compliance director with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, said after VOSH was notified of the death at the Danville factory, it too initiated another inspection at the facility.

The agency was already in the midst of conducting an inspection of the plant following the March 31 death of Mr. Edmonds. That investigation has not been closed.

“I cannot comment on the status of any open inspections, such as this one,” Rose said. Once the investigation has been closed, VOSH will post any citations issued on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration web page.

She said the agency has up to six months from the opening of the inspection to issue any citations.

The first of the recent fatalities at the Danville plant occurred Aug. 31, 2015, when 56-year-old Jeanie Strader, a 15-year veteran of the company, was killed after being caught in machine rollers, according to an OSHA document. She was employed at Goodyear as a windup operator and roll changer.

Goodyear recently was fined $16,975 by VOSH for three serious violations at the Danville factory following an inspection after Ms. Strader's death.

There are about 2,300 employees at the Danville plant.

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Mike McNulty is a reporter for Rubber & Plastics News, a sister publication of Tire Business. This report first appeared in RPN.