Crested Butte Mountain Resort faces a $67,500 fine from a federal workplace-safety agency for the death of a snow-groomer operator who was crushed by his machine in January.
Mechanics had bypassed safety switches on the armrest and door that would have shut down the snow-grooming machine driven by Christopher Mikesell, 23, according to an investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The report was made public Wednesday.
The company “failed to protect its employees from known hazards” and managers committed a “willful violation” of worker safety by allowing the alterations to more than one machine, said John Healy, OSHA’s area director.
“It’s important for employers to make sure that the equipment that employees are utilizing are safe,” he said.
A ski-area official challenged the analysis of the accident and is seeking an informal meeting with OSHA to dispute the finding of a willful violation and the heavy financial penalty.
“We will continue to work with them, but as a resort we do not agree with the ‘willful’ that they have on that,” said Randy Barrett, vice president and general manager of Crested Butte.
Mikesell died Jan. 21 as he got out of his Bombardier BR 350 to assist another operator. He apparently stopped the 15,000-pound machine, but it began rolling as he exited, trapping him beneath the tank like treads.
“We need to learn from these things,” Barrett said. “Our goal is that it never happens again.”
