Jul 28, 2015 — Federal officials condemned International Paper for lax safety standards at the company's mill in Ticonderoga, N.Y. The Department of Labor said a worker who died in a fire lacked proper training and safety equipment.

“While nothing can return this man to his daughter and co-workers, the company can and must take prompt and effective steps to ensure that this never happens again," said Kim Castillon, head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Albany office.

A fiery death and a Federal probe

Last January, Jorg Borowski was working in the power plant in International Paper's mill in Ticonderoga, cleaning out burned filter bags full of combustible fly ash. The material ignited and Borowski was severely burned. The 57-year-old man died the next day. That incident prompted an investigation by OSHA, part of the U.S. Department of Labor. Last week, OSHA cited International Paper for two willful violations, one repeated violation, and three serious violations of workplace safety standards.

According to Federal inspectors, Borowski was not trained about the hazards of the job he was doing and he was not given "necessary fire-resistant clothing." They also found the fly ash system in the mill's power plant was deficient, poorly maintained, and had not been properly inspected. “This worker’s death was preventable. International Paper knew of these hazards and deficiencies and did not address them,” said Castillon

Increased monitoring and a fine

As a consequence, the Federal government has placed IP on a "Severe Violator Enforcement Program," which will means stepped-up inspections and oversight. According to a strongly-worded statement, the program is aimed at, “Recalcitrant employers who endanger workers." International Paper also faces roughly $211,000 in proposed fines.

International Paper spokeswoman Donna Wadsworth told the Albany Times-Union the company, "Worked with OSHA in facilitating their investigation." Wadsworth called Borowski's death "a devastating loss" and said, “IP is committed to safety in everything we do."