A Troy sawmill has been fined $184,385 after a Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation found its failure to follow federal safety standards resulted in the death of a worker last year.

And according to OSHA, it’s the third time in three years that the mill’s operator has experienced a workplace fatality, after two at Florida mills.

Evan Kilpatrick, 20, of Troy, was killed Dec. 22, 2022 at Rex Lumber, according to Troy police.

The investigation determined that Kilpatrick was part of a six-member crew trying to clear a jammed roller. He was crushed when stored energy caused the infeed unit to close on him. Kilpatrick later died from his injuries.

OSHA issued a willful citation for allowing workers to perform maintenance on equipment without controlling hazardous energy sources. The company also failed to review its energy control procedures regularly to ensure compliance, and did not train employees on how to isolate stored energy in hydraulic accumulators, the administration said in a news release.

The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings. Rex Lumber owns sawmills in six states, employing about 360 workers who harvest lumber from yellow pine.

“Rex Lumber’s failure to comply with well-known safety requirements led to the death of a worker and put others at serious risk of harm,” OSHA Area Office Director Jose Gonzalez said. “Safety standards exist to protect workers from the hazards of moving machinery and when followed, they can save lives.”