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OSHA citation vacated in railcar unloading injury case - Business Insurance Skip to content Register for free Search Search Log In Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers OSHA citation vacated in railcar unloading injury case by Louise Esola Coverage Disputes , Regulation , Workers Comp Coverage , Workplace Safety Mar 12, 2026 A federal administrative law judge has vacated an Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation issued to a cold-storage warehouse operator after a railcar unloading accident that left one worker paralyzed. The case stemmed from a March 30, 2023, incident at a La Porte, Texas, facility in which workers were unloading pallets of frozen chicken feet from a refrigerated railcar when stacked boxes weighing about 40 to 50 pounds each collapsed onto them. One employee was knocked unconscious, while another suffered catastrophic injuries and was left paralyzed, according to Secretary of Labor v. Americold Logistics , which became a final decision on Thursday. Following the incident, OSHA cited the company under the law’s general duty clause, alleging employees were exposed to struck-by hazards from unstable loads during the unloading process and proposing a $15,625 penalty. However, an administrative law judge with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruled the agency did not meet its burden of proving the employer had knowledge of the hazardous condition or that additional feasible safety measures existed that would have materially reduced the hazard. The decision acknowledged that employees were exposed to a recognized hazard and that the risk of serious harm was evident given the weight of the boxes involved. But the judge found OSHA failed to show the company knew or reasonably should have known the load was unstable before it collapsed. Evidence showed supervisors inspected the railcar before unloading and determined the pallets, although shifted, were standing vertically and did not appear unstable, according to the ruling. The judge also found OSHA did not sufficiently demonstrate that the company’s safety procedures were inadequate or that its proposed abatement measures — such as securing loads or using protective devices — were specific, feasible or more effective than the company’s existing practices. As a result, the court vacated the citation, concluding OSHA relied too heavily on the occurrence of the accident itself rather than evidence of a preventable hazard or practical abatement measures. 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