Goodyear to Pay $1.75M Settlement for Safety Violations at Danville Plant

Following the deaths of four employees at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Danville, Va., plant, the tiremaker will pay $1.75 million to settle workplace health and safety violations, the Associated Press reports.

According to a statement from the state Department of Labor and Industry, the department, Goodyear, and the United Steelworkers reached a settlement agreement that called for the $1.75 million penalty and created a process to fix workplace hazards.

Assistant labor and industry commissioner William Burge told the AP $1 million will go to the state’s general fund and the remaining $750,000 can be used at the plant to fix hazards and help meet the requirements of a workplace safety training program.

State inspectors conducted 11 inspections of the facility after the deaths, which occurred between August 2015 and August 2016, finding more than 100 violations. The state Department of Labor and Industry’s Occupational Safety and Health program issued the scores of violations in October, which led to settlement talks when Goodyear contested the findings.

Investigations found the floor around the pit, Charles “Greg” Cooper, 53, drowned in was slick with oil and grease and unguarded for more than five months since a sump pump was removed.

Additionally, the department said the lack of proper machine control-devices led to the death of Jeanie Strader, 56, who was caught in machinery. Kevin Waid Edmonds, 54, died due to similar conditions when pinned between a wall and a pallet containing rubber.

According to a citation, William “Billy” Scheier, 47, died when a machine part struck him when he was adjusting a machine that hadn’t been properly turned off or shut down when it activated.

According to AP, a judge still needs to sign off on the settlement agreement.