USPS Cited by OSHA After Worker Killed in Mail Sorting Machine

Federal workplace safety officials have issued citations and fines against the U.S. Postal Service as investigators continue examining the death of an employee at a Michigan mail processing facility.

Nicholas John Acker, 36, of Trenton, Michigan, worked on mail processing equipment at the USPS Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park. He was found stuck in a machine on Nov. 8, 2025, and had reportedly been dead for hours before firefighters arrived. According to reports, his body was found wedged between a guard rail and the conveyor belt of a sorting machine. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as mechanical asphyxia.

OSHA's investigation remains open, but the agency has already issued multiple citations tied to safety procedures at the facility. Records currently show three violations and five citations connected to the case. OSHA and USPS also reached an informal settlement that reduced proposed penalties to $26,481.

Investigators found several issues related to lockout/tagout procedures, which are designed to prevent equipment from unexpectedly starting during maintenance or repair work.

The citations include allegations that USPS:

• Failed to conduct annual inspections of energy control procedures
• Did not provide adequate lockout/tagout training for maintenance employees
• Failed to ensure workers used group lockout devices during repair work
• Did not follow proper procedures during shift changes
• Did not consistently use energy control procedures during equipment repairs

According to OSHA records, employees were exposed to caught-in hazards while working around conveyor systems and maintenance operations. Several citations specifically involved work performed on conveyor belt systems at the facility.

Acker's fiancée, Stephanie Jaszcz, criticized the outcome after learning the fines had been reduced.

"It is disgusting and infuriating that a company can hide behind a program like OSHA — a system that’s supposed to protect workers and make sure people come home alive — only to walk away with slashed fines, meaningless citations, and zero real accountability. What’s the point of a safety agency if the companies who violate the rules get a discount for killing someone."

The investigation remains active, and OSHA has not yet marked the case as closed.