Tennessee OSHA Opens Investigation Into Impact Plastics

NASHVILLE - After media reports that flash floods swept away employees from Impact Plastics in Erwin while on the job, Tennessee OSHA (TOSHA) has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the workplace fatalities.

The current investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) into the circumstances that led to these deaths supersedes the jurisdiction of TOSHA. Investigators from TOSHA will work with TBI and local officials to determine when they can begin an on-site inspection.

Tennessee law allows an employer eight hours to notify TOSHA of workplace fatalities. TOSHA has not received a fatality report from managers at Impact Plastics.

During the investigative process, TOSHA investigators typically survey the location of the fatality, review company records, and procedures, and conduct interviews with management and employees.

A fatality investigation can take up to six months to complete.

To ensure the investigation's integrity, TOSHA does not release any preliminary information regarding the incident. When the investigation is final, the report detailing the agency's findings is open for review by the citizens of Tennessee.