MILAN, Ill. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued three serious citations against John Deere. It comes after a man died due to a workplace accident last year at the Milan facility, 1600 E. 1st Ave.
In October, 55-year-old Anthony "Tony" LeCleir of Davenport was performing scanning duties when a "powered industrial vehicle" struck him, OSHA citations show. He died a few weeks later on Nov. 7.
OSHA opened an investigation five days after the incident and filed the violations in mid-March. Each violation comes with a $16,131 fine, resulting in a total of $48,393 in penalty costs.
The violations provide more insight as to what led to the fatal accident. One citation states "the operator was traveling at a speed that would not permit the powered industrial truck to stop in a safe manner." Another says Deere did not maintain "sufficient safe clearances" in its aisles, adding that the vehicle had to maneuver around a bin at the aisle's entrance. Lastly, OSHA noted that a "safe distance" between vehicles was not maintained.
News 8 is working to get a copy of the original report. OSHA's investigation remains open.
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