The Courier, Russellville, Ark.

The Courier, Russellville, Ark.

I guess the most important issue here is that a man is dead but there were no violations. Something was not right or this man would not be dead. I am not trying to say Walmart even did anything wrong there has to be something that could be changed in the process to keep this from happening again. Why not figure out what the real issue was?


By Michael Ford
crime@couriernews.com
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has closed its investigation of an incident at a Walmart Supercenter in Russellville that led to the death of one of its associates, said Elizabeth Todd, a representative for the U.S. Department of Labor.
While at work on the afternoon of Nov. 3, James R. King, 79, of Russellville, a greeter and assembler at the store, fell from the second or third step of a ladder, striking his head on the floor, according to information provided by OSHA. He was in the process of removing a box that contained a bicycle from a storage rack.
Pope County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Russellville Fire Department (RFD) arrived at the scene to find King lying on the floor of the stockroom near the ladder, according to a report from the RFD. King was stabilized, then rolled onto a board and a cot, before being transported to Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center where he later died.
“No violations were found, therefore, OSHA did not issue citations, and the investigation has been closed,” Todd said Wednesday.
Contacted Thursday regarding the matter, Michelle Bradford, a representative for Walmart’s public affairs department, expressed regret.
“James was a part of our store’s family,” she said. “He was a dedicated associate, and we will miss him dearly.”