On March 20, 59-year-old Roy Glenn Bass was working at a Mohawk Industries Distribution & Finishing facility in Chatsworth, GA when he was struck and killed by a large roller.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but according to local authorities, a larger roller broke free of a machine at the plant and hit Bass. He died from injuries caused by the accident.
Bass was an electrician and had been with the company for nearly six years.
According to a report from the Suwannee Democrat, OSHA is investigating the accident, and local authorities will not pursue criminal charges.
The company released a statement the day Bass was killed that said the cause of the industrial accident "remains unknown at this time." IEN reached out to Mohawk, but the company has not responded to requests for comment.
This is the second death at the facility in less than a year. According to the Daily Citizen, 42-year-old Vickie Dyer died after an industrial accident in September 2017. According to the OSHA investigation, Dyer was caught "in between hazards" in a carpet roll up area. Proper machine guarding could have prevented the accident, and the company reportedly corrected the areas cited during the inspection.
Mohawk Industries is a major global flooring manufacturer with manufacturing operations throughout the United States and in 15 nations. In 2016, the company reported sales of $9 billion.
