Bartlett Grain Co. L.P. faces five willful and eight serious safety violations cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a grain elevator exploded in October in Atchison, Kan., killing six workers and hospitalizing two others.

Among the willful violations are allowing grain dust, which is nine times as explosive as coal dust, to collect; removing dust with compressed air before turning off ignition sources; repeatedly starting and stopping inside bucket elevators to free legs choked by grain; using inappropriate electrical equipment for the working environment; and not mandating that employees use fall protection when working from heights.

"The deaths of these six workers could have been prevented had the grain elevator's operators addressed hazards that are well known in this industry," says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Bartlett Grain's disregard for the law led to a catastrophic accident and heartbreaking tragedy for the workers who were injured or killed, their families and the agricultural community."