The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed $794,456 in penalties against Woodland Pulp after a federal investigation found the Baileyville, Maine, wood pulp mill exposed workers to safety and health hazards that resulted in the deaths of two employees.

On Jan. 27, 2026, Woodland Pulp workers were performing a cold weather shutdown when they were exposed to high concentrations of uncontrolled hydrogen sulfide gas. Two employees died from the exposure.
OSHA also investigated a March 7, 2026, chemical fire at the facility that began after the employer released 4,400 gallons of 50% hydrogen peroxide, which mixed with wood pulp that had accumulated on the ground.

Woodland Pulp received four willful citations for exposing workers to deadly levels of hydrogen sulfide without proper alarms or breathing devices and allowing overflow wood pulp to build up in storage areas. The company also received eight serious citations for failing to train workers on hydrogen peroxide risks; failing to conduct medical evaluations and fit tests for respirator users; neglecting to label chlorine and acid lines; and failing to control hydrogen sulfide exposure risks.

The employer has been inspected 13 times since 2017, resulting in 13 serious and one other-than-serious citation. One of those inspections began in 2017 after 14 employees were taken to the hospital following a chemical exposure in the same area covered by the current inspections.

Hydrogen sulfide, also known as H2S and sewer gas, is a colorless gas known for its powerful rotten egg odor. It is extremely flammable and highly toxic. Used or produced in several industries, hydrogen sulfide also occurs naturally in sewers, manure pits, well water, and oil and gas wells.