OSHA investigating onion shed fire that killed worker

Published 3:42 am Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The cause of the fatal June 1 onion shed fire near Hermiston is still under investigation.

The fire claimed the life of Columbia Basin Spreaders Inc. employee Joseph Adams, 62, of Umatilla.

According to Columbia Basin Spreaders project manager Steve Williams, the shed was going through a renovation process in an effort to update the air flow system.

Oregon OSHA is investigating the fire. According to Gary Beck, statewide safety enforcement manager, the investigation is still at least two months away from concluding, though legally OSHA has up to six months to finish its investigation and produce its findings. Beck said this is a particularly complicated case to figure out and there are no witnesses.

Adams had worked for the company for more than 10 years, according to his brother Weslie Adams. His death was one of 27 workplace fatalities reported to Oregon OSHA in 2016 as reported on Oregon OSHA’s website.

The fire consumed an approximately 400-by-150-foot single-story onion storage building, one of 18 buildings the company uses to store produce, and caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage. Columbia Basin plans to rebuild the facility, though a timeline has not been set.