Kumho Tire Georgia Inc.
Outcome
Kumho Tire Georgia Inc. was cited for 1 repeat and 14 serious OSHA violations and fined $271,930 after a 57-year-old maintenance worker died on April 10, 2024 when a machine started unexpectedly during maintenance because the facility used on/off controls instead of required lockout/tagout procedures.
Details
Kumho Tire Georgia Inc. — Maintenance Worker Killed by Unexpected Machine Start (2024)
Outcome: A 57-year-old maintenance worker died on April 10, 2024 when a machine started unexpectedly during maintenance at the Macon, Georgia tire manufacturing plant; OSHA cited 15 violations including one repeat and 12 serious, proposing $271,930 in penalties — the facility's 10th OSHA inspection since 2015, with 52 total prior violations.
On April 10, 2024, a 57-year-old maintenance worker at Kumho Tire Georgia Inc.'s Macon, Georgia plant was performing maintenance on a piece of production machinery when the machine unexpectedly started. The worker was struck and killed. OSHA's investigation found that the company had been relying on simple on/off switch controls to protect maintenance workers from machinery — bypassing the required lockout/tagout procedures that mandate physical energy isolation, locking, and tagging of all energy sources before any worker is allowed inside the machine's danger zone.
OSHA issued one repeat violation and 12 serious violations, including machine guarding failures, missing guardrails, uncovered holes in walking surfaces, and failure to train employees on proper lockout/tagout procedures. Two other-than-serious violations were also issued. The proposed penalty was $271,930.
The citation noted that since 2015, Kumho Tire's Macon facility had been inspected nine times, accumulating 52 total violations — a documented pattern indicating persistent systemic noncompliance.
Primary Source: Department of Labor cites Kumho Tire Georgia $271K in penalties, finds 15 safety violations in wake of 57-year-old worker's fatal injury
How Crucible Prevents This
Kumho Tire's nine inspections and 52 prior violations since 2015 represent the most extreme case of non-corrective recidivism — a facility that has been cited repeatedly for the same hazard categories and continued operating without compliance. Crucible's enforcement pressure escalation model would flag this employer as a candidate for enhanced OSHA scrutiny under the Severe Violator Enforcement Program, and would require mandatory third-party safety audit completion before any new production authorizations.
Don't let this happen to your organization. See how Crucible works.
See How Crucible Works