MADISON (WKOW) - An attorney for Didion Milling Friday pleaded guilty to federal safety crimes in connection to a devastating explosion at the firm's Columbia County corn plant that killed five people.
The pleas on behalf of Didion's executives were the result of a formal agreement. Company representatives agreed to the guilty pleas to two federal counts and will pay a $1 million fine and $10.25 million in restitution to the estates of the deceased workers. OSHA will also conduct up to two unannounced inspections annually.
Judge James Peterson accepted the plea agreement and said if a pre-sentencing report does not change his view of the arrangement, the plea terms will be final.
There were also injuries when the explosion took place in part of the milling operation May 31, 2017. Federal court records state an accumulation of combustible dust was a factor in the blast.
Duelle Block, Robert Goodenow, Charly Nunez, Angel Reyes-Sanchez and Pawel Tordoff were killed in the blast or died soon after. During a court hearing Friday, Nunez's sister-in-law blamed company representatives for a culture of ignoring safety.
"The company put corporate greed above humanity," she said.
Court records state from 2015 to May 2017 Didion workers made false entries on safety logs, including filling in changes in dust presence that appeared to comply with safety rules when the actual numbers were outside the allowed range.
Phil Vander Galien's son, Collin was working the night of the explosion and lost both his legs as a result of the explosion. Vander Galien attended Friday's hearing and said others should also be specifically answerable for workers falsifying logs.
"They are just scapegoats," Vander Galien said.
Records state less than two weeks before the explosion, Didion employees falsely indicated in the logbook that required dust cleanings had been performed days before when they had not.
In a statement, Didion executive Riley Didion said the explosion was "tragic" and vowed sound operations going forward.
"With this agreement in place, we can devote our full attention to serving our team, community, farmers, and customers with the highest standards of safety and quality," Didion stated.
Vander Galien said his son continues a recovery with prosthetic legs. He said Didion's compliance with their promises and terms of the agreement will be tracked.
"I have to assume OSHA is doing what they say they are doing, and we'll hold them accountable forever."
A sentencing date for Didion has yet to be set.
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