Didion Milling appeals fine imposed by OSHA

Didion Milling Inc. appealed a fine imposed on the company after the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found the company could have prevented an explosion that killed five workers and injured twelve others.

On Friday, an OSHA spokesperson said it will go to an Independent Safety Review Committee. The committee functions as an administrative court receiving evidence, conducting hearings and rendering decisions to settle disputes regarding citations or penalties.

In a statement sent to NBC15 from Didion Milling, "Together with our legal counsel, we have elected to move forward in contesting some citations issued by OSHA. We are working collaboratively with OSHA and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission through the appeal process, which can take up to a year. We are continuing to work with industry experts and other agencies to determine the cause of the incident."

OSHA fined the company $1.8 million. It's the largest proposed penalty for a single inspection in the state of Wisconsin, according to OSHA records.

OSHA found the explosion in May likely resulted from Didion’s failures to correct the leakage and accumulation of highly combustible grain dust throughout the facility and to properly maintain equipment to control ignition sources.

The company received 19 citations and was placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

The report was released November 17 and Didion Milling had 15 working days to respond to OSHA's findings.

You can read the full 45-page report by