Executive Summary
- Kasie Malcolm, a UMaine chemical engineering intern, died following a gas leak at Woodland Pulp in Baileyville, Maine.
- A second employee was airlifted to a hospital; their identity and condition have not been released.
- OSHA and Woodland Pulp have launched parallel investigations into the cause of the leak in the mill’s bleach plant.
- Malcolm is remembered as a gifted student and former state swimming champion.
Kasie Malcolm, a junior chemical engineering student at the University of Maine, has died following a hazardous materials incident at the Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville, Maine. Malcolm was working as an intern at the facility on Tuesday night when a gas leak occurred in the bleach plant, leading to the fatal exposure.
According to Woodland Pulp spokesperson Scott Beal, first responders at the scene determined that a gas leak had compromised the area. Malcolm was transported via LifeFlight to a hospital alongside another employee who was also exposed during the incident. While officials confirmed Malcolm’s death, the identity and current medical condition of the second worker have not been publicly released.
The victim is being remembered by community members and educators as an exceptional student and athlete. “Everything I’m told, he was just an outstanding individual with a very bright future in front of him,” Beal stated regarding the loss of the intern. Paul Marquis, president of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, New Hampshire, where Malcolm graduated in 2023, described him as a “quiet but powerful thinker” and a two-time state swimming champion.
The Sanford YMCA also issued a statement honoring Malcolm, noting that his leadership and kindness left a lasting impact on younger athletes on the Titans swim team. Representatives from the University of Maine have acknowledged the loss of the promising engineering student.
Regulatory Oversight and Investigation
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) arrived on site Wednesday to initiate a federal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the gas leak. Simultaneously, Woodland Pulp has launched an internal inquiry to assess infrastructure integrity and safety protocol adherence within the bleach plant. These investigations will focus on identifying the source of the leak and determining whether specific safety violations or equipment failures contributed to the fatality, which may lead to regulatory enforcement actions or revised industrial safety standards for the facility.
