By According to WeedWeek and podcast reports, the former supervisor of a Trulieve cannabis growing and processing business in Massachusetts said the company was killed at the site just a month after a worker at the facility reportedly died from inhaling marijuana dust. of environmental, health and safety managers. Young Jerks. Trulieve is a Florida-based vertically integrated cannabis company with operations in 11 states.
Late last month, The Young Jurks died after Trulieve employee Lorna McMurrey inhaled cannabis dust while manufacturing pre-rolled joints at the company’s facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts. made it clear. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Trulieb was investigated and found she was fined more than $35,000 for violations at her Holyoke facility. After news of the incident broke, Trulieb confirmed her report on October 3, nine months after McMurray’s death.
“In January of this year, Trulieve lost one of its team members, Lorna McMurray, who worked at the facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts.” high times“We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr McMurray’s family, friends and colleagues as the circumstances surrounding Mr McMurray’s death recently resurfaced and we have had to relive the loss.”
“Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we are unable to share details of the day. However, OSHA conducted a thorough investigation of the Holy York facility. PPE was available at the scene,” Trulieve said in a statement. continued. “They tested air quality throughout the facility, and all samples were well below acceptable limits. OSHA issued citations related to communications standards, and Trulieve disputed those findings. We care and cherish all of our 9,000 employees who make Trulieve like family, and the safety of our team members is paramount to our core values.”
Ex-supervisor feuds with Trulieb
However, Danny Carson, a former Trulieve supervisor who hired McMurray in the spring of 2021 and supervised her until he left the company the following August, said Trulieve said protective gear was available to employees working at the Holy York facility. He said face masks in cannabis growing and processing operations were meant to protect against COVID-19, not respirators designed for workers in industrial settings. said. He added that the masks given to employees did not fit their faces tightly enough to keep out airborne particulates.
“Not enough to help employees breathe.” Carson told Weedweek.
In an interview with The Young Jurks over the weekend, Carson said the “growing protective equipment” was given to workers to protect the product, not the employees.
“Gloves are not personal protective equipment,” he said. “Hairnets are not personal production equipment.”
Mr. Carson also said Mr. Trulieb promoted him to environmental, health and safety officer at the Hollywood facility a month after Mr. McMurray’s death. The name of the promoted manager is unknown and did not respond to WeedWeek’s request for comment.
fine an OSHA facility over $35,000
OSHA investigators wrote that an employee “told him he couldn’t breathe” on Jan. 7 as he was mashing up marijuana flowers and stuffing them into pre-rolls. The report provides few details about the incident, but an OSHA investigation determined that an unidentified “employee died after being unable to breathe due to the hazards of cannabis dust.” The report also noted that the inhaled dust contained marijuana kief, isolated cannabis trichomes, glands that produce THC and other active compounds found in marijuana.
In June, OSHA fined Trulieb a total of more than $35,000 in connection with McMurray’s death, although her identity was not specified in the report. The three violations identified by OSHA are classified as “major,” and OSHA states that Trulieve should ensure that companies maintain written hazard communication plans, maintain safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals, and It alleges that it violated federal regulations that require it to provide information and training about substances.
young jerks First to report McMurray’s death In a podcast that was livestreamed in late September. In a post on YouTube, Young Jerks shared a statement from an unidentified former colleague. He alleges inadequate management at the Trulieve facility.
“Lorna McMurray tragically passed away while processing keef at Trureve’s manufacturing facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts,” said a former employee. and corruption, I had quit about a month before she died.I wish I had been there to save her.Watch out for your people.Educate yourself well. .”
WeedWeek reports that cannabis industry trade groups the National Cannabis Council and the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) did not respond to requests for comment on the potential need for ventilators for cannabis industry workers. Did.
“While this is an ongoing case, all I have to say is that I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ms. McMurry and am watching the incident closely,” said NCIA Executive Director Aaron. Smith said.
