Missouri American Water Hit With OSHA Citations Over Joplin Death

The U.S. Labor Department is coming down with stiff penalties against Missouri American Water Company over an employee's death in Joplin following the deadly tornado there last May.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA announced that it was charging the Creve Coeur-based subdidiary of American Water, with willful violations after an accident with a saw kicked back and killed an employee.

KOAM-TV reported on the accident last spring, and at the time indicated that the employee, Robert Clark, died from an injury to his neck.

To view the OSHA citations, here is a link to the agency's website.

The charges carry a penalty totaling $140,000.

“Employers such as Missouri American Water have a responsibility to take all necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace and to ensure that workers are given the proper equipment, tools and training to conduct required tasks,” said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in a news release. “It is tragic that an employee lost his life while performing valuable work to rebuild this devastated community.”

A company statement said it is "100 percent" committed to employee safety, but disagrees with OSHA's conclusion.

“Missouri American Water lost one of our own employees and we do not underestimate the impact it has on the family, our local employees and all those that work for our company, but we do not agree with the characterization described in the citations and plan to exercise our right to meet with OSHA to discuss them,” Missouri American President Frank Kartmann said.