Man severely injured at Plum Creek

A worker at Plum Creek’s plywood plant suffered a severe injury after a log apparently came off a piece of equipment and crushed his leg. Plum Creek spokeswoman Kathy Budinick said the accident happened the evening of Nov. 8.

She would not release details of the accident or the name of the individual.

“We’re still looking into analyzing what happened,” she said.

But according to several sources, the man was apparently sweeping under a piece of equipment when a log came off a conveyor and struck his leg. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment. His leg was later amputated.

According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration records, Plum Creek’s last serious accident at its Columbia Falls plant was in 2002, when David Hoerauf, 50, was crushed in a conveyor belt at the Medium Density Fiberboard Plant.

OSHA fined Plum Creek $98,000 in that case. An OSHA spokesperson said they would investigate the latest accident.

Plum Creek’s plywood plant has 153 employees, Budinick said.