The death of a 29-year-old employee at the Mosaic plant in Polk County last year has led to multiple violations and over $30,000 in penalties being issued against the company.
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found that the employee’s death “could have been prevented” had the company, Mosaic Fertilizer LLC, followed required safety standards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said Thursday.
The 29-year-old process operator, identified as Jameka Williams, was reportedly collecting a sample for analysis when she fell into an unguarded ribbon blender and suffered extensive, and ultimately deadly, injuries. The incident was reported in July 2024.
An industrial ribbon blender is a device that mixes finished fertilizer with coating oil. Authorities said the Mosaic plant did not ensure that the rotating portions of the blender had the proper guarding in place or secured.
“In this case, the employer failed to protect workers as the law requires,” said OSHA Area Director Danelle Jindra in Tampa, Florida. “No employee should lose their life because an employer neglects basic safety measures.”
OSHA issued Mosaic two serious violations and proposed $30,649 in penalties.
The fertilizer company’s location in Mulberry is its largest manufacturing plant in Florida, with nearly 600 employees. Mosaic also employs over 2,500 workers nationwide.
According to OSHA, Mosaic has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings.