Lives Lost and Fines Levied: OSHA Crackdowns in July 2025 Highlight Deadly and Costly Safety Failures

In July 2025, OSHA issued a series of fines, each underscoring the high stakes of compliance failures and the price companies pay when safety protocols are disregarded. From a fatal hazmat mishap in Ohio, to a deadly boiler-room explosion in Georgia, to a granite countertop manufacturer exposing workers to toxic dust, OSHA’s enforcement actions this month cast a harsh light on the cost of inaction.

A Life Lost in a Railcar: Dalion Ambler’s Tragic Death in Ohio

On January 10, 2025, 35-year-old Dalion Ambler of Cleveland lost his life while working inside a railroad tanker car at Emerald Transformer, a recycling and disposal facility in Twinsburg Township, Ohio. Ambler, employed by contractor Clean Harbors Environmental Services, entered the confined space to test air quality—but never came out.

Emergency responders found the atmosphere inside the tank oxygen-deficient—readings as low as 5% oxygen—yet the company had failed to implement basic permit-required confined space safety measures. These included not only proper atmospheric testing, but also ventilation and a non-entry rescue plan.

In July 2025, OSHA issued a proposed fine of $602,938 against Clean Harbors. The agency cited multiple violations, including three willful violations, for failing to protect workers entering potentially lethal environments.

“This tragedy was entirely preventable,” an OSHA spokesperson said. “Failure to follow confined space protocols is not just a violation of federal law, it’s a failure of moral responsibility.”

Poultry Plant Explosion: Keystone Foods Cited After Fire and Fatality

In Camilla, Georgia, a fire and explosion rocked a Keystone Foods poultry processing plant (a Tyson Foods subsidiary) on December 26, 2024. A ruptured oil hose in the plant’s boiler room sprayed mist that ignited, causing an explosion that seriously injured two workers and killed a woman outside the facility after debris struck her parked vehicle.

OSHA’s investigation revealed that the company had failed to follow the manufacturer’s procedures during routine maintenance, violating the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act. On July 10, 2025, OSHA cited the company for a serious safety violation and proposed a penalty of $16,550.

While significantly lower than the fine in the Ambler case, the incident raised broader questions about corporate oversight and safety maintenance in high-risk environments, such as poultry plants—where steam, oil, and heat combine to create combustible conditions.

Also in Georgia, federal safety officials cited Brazilian Stone Design LLC, a countertop manufacturer in Powder Springs, for exposing workers to excessive levels of respirable crystalline silica. The inspections revealed a long list of serious oversights: no respirator use, no fit testing or training, no air monitoring, and the complete absence of a hearing conservation program despite noisy conditions.

OSHA issued seven serious violations and proposed fines totaling $33,000 on July 10, 2025. While the violations did not stem from an acute injury or fatality, the long-term consequences of silica exposure, including silicosis, a potentially fatal lung disease—make these failures no less severe.

“Employers must proactively monitor air quality and ensure respiratory protection,” OSHA said in a press statement. “These are not optional measures, they are life-saving standards.”

A Broader Warning from OSHA

Together, these three incidents serve as stark reminders that workplace safety is not an administrative formality. It’s a frontline defense for workers, their families, and their communities.

• In the case of Dalion Ambler, it was the absence of rescue plans and oxygen testing that turned a routine inspection into a fatal trap.
• For Keystone Foods, maintenance shortcuts triggered an explosion that took a life outside the plant.
• At Brazilian Stone Design, the silent hazard of dust exposure continues to pose a long-term risk to workers.

OSHA’s enforcement actions this month span a wide range of industries and hazards—but they share a common thread: preventable lapses, followed by tragic or dangerous consequences. As employers digest these fines, the message is clear. Compliance is not just a matter of avoiding penalties, it’s a matter of life and death.