Sawmill fined $2.5 million for 28 safety violations, which led to the death of a worker
An OSHA investigation has determined that MDLG Inc., operating as Phenix Lumber Co., could have prevented the death of an employee if the Alabama sawmill had followed required safety rules. The incident occurred in August 2023 when a sawmill supervisor climbed on top of an auger to access a difficult-to-reach area to unclog a woodchipper. Unfortunately, the machine started up, and the worker was pulled into the machine and died. The sawmill has been investigated by OSHA four times over the past five years, and was added to the agency’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program in 2020.
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The company, along with its owners John Menza Dudley Jr. and Leslie Elizabeth Dudley, was cited for 22 willful violations, one repeat violation and five serious violations. These violations include failing to ensure employees used energy control procedures, not providing proper training on the importance of the energy control program, failing to use lockout/tagout devices on machinery when performing maintenance, and not maintaining machine guarding. The sawmill faces $2,471,683 in proposed penalties.
In a recent quote, OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer said, “Phenix Lumber’s willful disregard for the well-being of their employees leaves another family to grieve the loss of their loved one. This must stop. This worksite has become all too familiar to OSHA. Phenix and its owners have a legal responsibility to follow federal safety laws that are meant to prevent the exact hazards that cost this employee’s life.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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