Federal workplace safety officials have cited one of OSHA’s Top 5 VPP STAR businesses for multiple serious violations at its Greensboro facility following a fatal accident that killed a longtime employee last summer. The business has 1,006 VPP Sites, and yet, OSHA finds serious LOTO and PRCS issues after a PRCS fatality.
The North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division issued citations and proposed more than $46,000 in penalties after an inspection at the company’s facility. The inspection ran from July 24, 2025, through Jan. 22, 2026, according to state records.
Investigators found that the company failed to properly control hazardous energy and did not follow required safety procedures when employees were working on industrial dryers, including during a July 2025 incident that led to a worker’s death.
State records show that on or about July 23, 2025, an employee was cleaning a lint filter inside a natural gas–fired dryer when the equipment was not locked out or tagged out to prevent unexpected movement. The dryer cabinet closed, crushing the employee.
The state issued a $16,550 penalty tied to that violation, classifying it as “serious.”
The victim, 59, was found trapped in machinery at the facility late on July 23. He was pronounced dead at the scene and had worked for the company for about 25 years.
In addition to the fatal incident, inspectors cited multiple serious violations related to confined-space safety in the dryers. According to the citations, the company failed to properly test air quality, identify potential hazards, establish safe entry conditions, and ventilate spaces before allowing employees to enter.
Two of those violations carried penalties of $14,895 each.
Inspectors said employees entered permit-required confined spaces without proper testing for oxygen levels, flammable gases, carbon monoxide, or other potentially toxic contaminants. In some cases, investigators found the company reclassified hazardous spaces without first confirming that conditions were safe.
All of the violations were ordered to be corrected immediately upon receipt of the citations.