Ethics Newsline®

DETROIT
Ford Motor Co. last week agreed to pay $1.5 million in fines to the Michigan Occupational and Safety Administration for a series of safety violations that contributed to a deadly blast at a Ford facility last February.

The explosion of a boiler at the Rouge assembly and parts complex killed six workers and seriously injured 14 others, the Detroit News reported.

A joint report from Ford and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union concluded that the explosion was caused by an inadvertent gas buildup in a boiler and was the result of safety violations, equipment misuse, and procedural mistakes.

In addition to the $1.5 million civil fine, Ford will spend $5 million on burn care at area hospitals, health and safety measures at the company, and a UAW scholarship to honor the killed workers.

Ford executive James Padilla said that the tragedy has focused the “company and employees on the need for a higher awareness of safety procedures,” the Reuters news agency reported.

Ford has also offered to pay more than $30 million to settle private lawsuits related to the explosion.