Tyson Fined $70K in Fatal Arkansas Silo Collapse

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Tyson Foods Inc. $70,000 in the wake of a fatal collapse at the company’s Nashville, Ark., feed mill.

The Texarkana Gazette reports OSHA cited Tyson earlier this month, saying a collapsed grain silo was “structurally unsound.” The silo collapsed early Dec. 9, killing 48-year-old Johnny Needham of Lockesburg and spilling tons of grain.

Tyson later razed a second silo at the site. In a statement, Tyson spokesman Worth Sparkman says “workplace safety is an important part of our company’s culture.”

The company has until June 22 to pay the fine or contest the findings. Sparkman says Tyson hasn’t decided how to proceed.

Sparkman says the company plans to rebuild the grain silo by the end of the year.