Mueller Appeals OSHA Fine Over Explosion in Tennessee

Mueller Industries has appealed a $683,000 fine levied by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for alleged safety violations.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports John Hansen, Mueller’s vice president of manufacturing, confirmed the appeal was filed but declined to discuss specifics.

The company was fined on Jan. 25 by OSHA, which had conducted an investigation into a fire and explosion that killed one worker and injured two others on July 29 at the company’s Mueller Copper Tube plant in Fulton.

Mueller is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., with 20 facilities in eight state and two foreign counties.

OSHA findings included failure to guard machinery, exposure to electrical shock, unsafe electrical equipment and practices, and failure to label hazardous chemicals.