Malden Bakery Cited by Federal Agency for Safety Lapses that Contributed to Worker’s Death

Malden, Mass. - Malden-based Piantedosi Baking Company was recently cited and penalized by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) for safety lapses that contributed to the death of an employee.

Yogambigai Pasupathipillai, a 61 year old Sri Lankan immigrant, died after being strangled when her apron became caught in a conveyor belt at the bakery during the afternoon of August 15.

Speaking to Open Media Boston, the executive director of advocacy group, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), Marcy Goldstein-Gelb said Pasupathipillai “was working at the bakery, and her apron apparently became caught in the conveyor belt … it strangled her, and she lost her life.

Goldstein-Gelb says that, “OSHA did a careful investigation of the equipment and looked at what might have contributed to this incident, and cited the bakery this week for several things related to the machinery; inadequate guarding, insufficient stop buttons, and a failure to ensure that the emergency stop button was the proper color, which is red.”

An inspection report by the federal agency, part of the US Dept. of Labor, confirmed the citation and penalty against Piantedosi for inadequate safety measures in the area of its conveyor belts, and fined the company $20,790.

According to OSHA’s online inspection database, Piantedosi was also cited and fined for an incident on June 17, 2011, where “a 43-year-old female … was operating a packing line for baked goods,” and that where “two conveyors came together” in what is described as a “nip point,” the employee’s finger became caught, “resulting in an amputation.”

Goldstein-Gelb says that, “Since 2000, there has been 21 Massachusetts workers that have been killed on the job, specifically resulting from being crushed in machinery, and in many instances it’s due to inadequate machine-guarding, and other OSHA-required safety measures that would prevent these fatalities.”

According to a statement prepared by MassCOSH, Pasupathipillai’s cousin and only relative in the US, Thiru Satchi said, “She was very careful at work,” and that “it’s very hard to take it.”

It also says that “Pasupathipillai arrived in Massachusetts 17 years ago through the Unites States Green Card lottery with the hopes of working in America to support her family back home. She worked for 12 dollars an hour, lived alone in an apartment, yet still managed to send money home.

In interview, Goldstein-Gelb says, “When her cousin talks about her, he talks about how she came here with incredible hope, filled with desire to care for her family; she was sending back money to take care of family back in Sri Lanka and now they’re left without their loved-one, and of course, also a breadwinner.”

She also says, “I can’t speak for this particular bakery, the fact that it occurred twice is certainly of great concern … does make you wonder, if someone was cited the first time why they didn’t go to all lengths to ensure that every possible safety measure was put in place.

“We’ve questioned for a long time whether OSHA has enough tools to deter employers, whether they have enough resources to fully carry out their mandate … not anything to be said about the individual investigator, more the tools that are provided to OSHA, and whether it’s sufficient in terms of deterring employers,” Goldstein-Gelb continues.

According to an online obituary that refers to Pasupathipillai as “Yoga,” she had four siblings and died in Massachusetts General Hospital on the day of the incident.

“I want to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen to anybody ,” said Satchi in the statement.

Piantedosi Baking Company did not respond to a request for a statement before the filing of this report.