Georgia-Pacific fined nearly US$650,000 following fatal workplace incident at Camas mill
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries found safety violations that contributed to the death of a 32-year-old employee, Dakota Cline, in a March 8 incident involving a packing machine
Georgia-Pacific has been fined US$648,292 by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) following the death of a 32-year-old employee at its Camas paper mill. Dakota Cline, who had worked at the mill since 2022, was fatally injured on March 8 when he was crushed by a packing machine during a routine task.
L&I’s investigation found that Georgia-Pacific had violated key safety regulations, which contributed directly to the fatal incident. According to a news release, the company failed to implement essential procedures to prevent machinery from accidentally turning on while workers were in dangerous proximity. Cline “sustained fatal injuries while working underneath the B side Unitizer stacker arms”, according to the department’s statement.
The state agency confirmed that Georgia-Pacific has since corrected the identified safety issues. However, the mill’s management acknowledged that permanent safety guards on the machine had been removed in 2017, and while a fence had been installed as a safety measure, it did not effectively prevent access to hazardous areas of the equipment.
Cline, who had been troubleshooting issues with the machine earlier that day, was working alone at the time of the accident. Nearby employees were in a separate building approximately 300 yards away. Before the incident occurred around 5 p.m., Cline had reportedly called for assistance four times within an hour, seeking help with the equipment.
According to a police report, mill employees became concerned when they noticed a backup of boxes on the conveyor belt. After waiting 15 minutes, they went to investigate and found Cline crushed between the machine’s stacker arms and the conveyor belt.
L&I’s assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety & Health, Craig Blackwood, emphasized that the incident could have been avoided: “Tragically, our investigation found this fatal incident could have been prevented. They knew what needed to be done to make this equipment safer but didn’t take action that could have prevented this worker’s death”.
Two years prior to the accident, an internal review by Georgia-Pacific had recommended the installation of doors on the machine to ensure that it could not be operated without the power being turned off. Despite this, the necessary modifications were not made.
Georgia-Pacific is appealing the fine imposed by L&I. Funds collected from such fines are directed to the state’s workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund, which provides support to workers and families of those who have died on the job.
