Dallas Oosterhof worked at Didion Milling in Cambria, Wisconsin, for 25 years until May 2017, when he was working late finishing paperwork and the mill exploded due to a buildup of combustible dust. Covered in debris, he was able to crawl out with the help of light from a co-worker’s cellphone.
A corn processing company, Didion Milling is currently facing over $2.5m in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) fines related to workplace deaths and injuries, and a criminal prosecution by the US justice department. A final hearing before the trial in the criminal case is set for Friday.