From its headquarters in Atlanta, paper products giant Georgia-Pacific makes and markets brands known not only to consumers (Brawny paper towels, Quilted Northern toilet paper and others) but also brands familiar to office suppliers and home builders.
While Georgia-Pacific is an unqualified economic success, the Koch Industries property is far less successful when it comes to ensuring the safety of its more than 40,000 workers, according to a recent report. Despite investing billions in modernizing equipment, the company continues to see steadily increasing numbers of workplace accidents and worker injuries at its facilities.
Georgia-Pacific is a profits juggernaut, Fortune and ProPublica report, earning more than $1 billion per year.
Starting in 2013, the company began to an upward trend in worker fatalities and on-the-job injuries. The company’s CEO at the time said, “There is nothing worse than getting a phone call at 2 in the morning and saying somebody has been seriously injured or killed in one of our facilities. And that is something we cannot let happen.”
And yet the accidents and injuries rose 30 percent between 2010 and the end of 2017, according to internal company data. Amputations, burns, fatalities and days lost to injuries all rose.
ProPublica and Fortune state, however, that “it is unclear what exactly is making the company more dangerous.” Koch and Georgia-Pacific both stress worker safety, and yet the employee injury and fatality rates continue to trail the rest of the paper and pulp industry.
No matter which line of work you are in, or who you work for, an on-the-job injury often means that you need both time off to recover and Georgia workers’ compensation benefits in order to keep meeting your financial obligations. Contact a Jonesboro attorney experienced in workers’ comp appeals who can help you get the benefits you need and deserve.