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A food-waste company has been hit with three "serious" violations of state workplace safety laws and fined more than $30,000 in connection with the death of an employee at its Winston-Salem facility last year. Joshua Kaleb Mullis, 30, of Clemmons died June 28 when he was pinned between a truck trailer and loading dock at a building leased by Divert Inc. at 3760 Kimwell Drive in West Point Industrial Park.
Mullis had just helped a truck driver with a "connection issue" when he walked behind a trailer as it backed toward the dock, according to the North Carolina Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Division. The driver was not charged, but NCDOL concluded that the Concord, Massachusetts-based company failed to protect employees at the facility from "hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious injury." Divert Inc.
was fined $16,131 for that violation. NCDOL also found that the company did not provide workers with adequate personal protective equipment as well as clothing that would make them more visible as they moved about the facility, resulting in a $14,517 penalty. People are also reading.
.. The third citation said Divert Inc.
did not provide written certification that it had completed a "workplace hazard assessment" as required by state law. No fine accompanied that violation. The company did not respond to a request for comment on the citations and fines.
In the days following the accident, a spokeswoman provided a statement saying, in part, "The Divert team extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of our colleague." Mullis served in the Marines and Army National Guard, according to his obituary. His wife, Krysta, was expecting the couple's fourth child in September.
"Josh was the most loving husband, father, and friend and will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him," his obituary said. Divert Inc. works with companies to make food last longer, recover unused food to supply communities in need and convert food waste into fuel.
The company says on its website that it has nearly 8,000 customers nationwide, including five Fortune 100 firms. Divert leased the 57,500 Winston-Salem facility, just off Stratford Road, in August 2023. John.
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