NuPak fined $21k in worker death

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - An insulated shipping container and packaging company was fined $21,000 for violating safety standards in the death of one of their workers on June 6.

Thomas Carty Jr. was helping another worker clear a Styrofoam part out of a press at NuPak Solutions in Norton Shores. He was removing the part from inside the press when it activated and crushed him.

Carty, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene.

After its investigation, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) found NuPak violated this rule: "A custom expansion block machine shall protect the operator by means of an interlocked gate across the mold parting line or by a device as prescribed by the provisions of R 408.16225. When the gate is opened or removed, the machine shall cease to function until the gate is closed."

MIOSHA also found 16 separate violations, nine of which it deemed serious, and fined NuPak an extra $10,100.