Guy Plumb cherished his role as a grandfather.
He spent twelve hours waiting for the birth of a grandson in his daughter’s hospital room. He used to say that toilet training a granddaughter only took him a weekend. Knowing that his granddaughter would sit in his lap and beg to share, he always prepared extra when he cooked.
Additionally, Plumb was surrounded by photos of his grandchildren when he passed away five days after racing to the hospital. One shows him grinning as he holds Colt Guy, his named grandson.
My father was simply a traditional rural lad. According to his daughter Holly Plumb, 37, he was a gunsmith and liked hunting and fishing. But being a grandfather was, in my opinion, the most significant aspect of his life. He cherished his grandchildren.
Guy Plumb, 61, passed away on August 20, 2023, from Legionnaires’ disease after inhaling the waterborne bacteria while he was employed at Huron Inc., a Sanilac County, Michigan, auto manufacturing.
After the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration looked into Plumb’s death, the company was hit with a $10,300 fine.
According to the state authorities, following the hospitalization of two employees in 2020, Huron Inc. became aware of the existence of Legionella disease. However, in order to stop germs from growing in the water supply once more, the corporation was unable to create an efficient water maintenance program. Plumb passed away as a result, and two other workers became ill the previous year.
Requests for comment from Huron Inc. for this story were not answered.
How Guy Plumb got sick
Maintenance worker Plumb was worn out on Friday, August 11, 2023.
He was meant to see his daughter Holly and her three kids that Saturday morning, but instead he texted, “I’m sick, Holly. Maybe another day.” He didn’t want to spread the illness to the children, so he assumed it was a stomach ailment.
By Wednesday, Plumb was having trouble breathing, so his wife dialed 911. He was brought to Saginaw’s Covenant Healthcare.
Doctors didn’t identify Legionnaires’ illness as the cause of the severe symptoms until the following Friday.
Inhaling water droplets tainted with the Legionella bacteria causes Legionnaires disease, a dangerous form of pneumonia. Despite being uncommon, it can be harmful to smokers, elderly individuals, and people with underlying medical disorders.Approximately 10% of patients with legionnaires’ disease pass away as a result of the infection.
Hospitals, hotels, cooling towers, assisted living facilities, and cruise ship hot tubs have all seen outbreaks. The Flint, Michigan, water crisis, which resulted in 86 verified cases and at least 12 fatalities, was one of the biggest epidemics in American history. A string of legal actions ensued.
Plumb’s kidneys stopped down and his organs failed due to Legionella pneumonia. His body developed sepsis in a matter of days. To combat the infection, medical professionals placed him in an induced coma.
Holly Plumb continued to contact her best friend, her father, who taught her how to fish, hunt, and fix cars.
Dad, you have my undying love! Keep fighting, please! On Thursday, August 17, 2023, she wrote, “I’ll be back to see you soon.”
Dad, you have my undying love! I am aware that you are exhausted and fighting hard! She wrote on Saturday, August 19, 2023, “Just know that even if this is the end, your grandbabies will always know how amazing and strong you are.”
Ten days after he called in sick to work because he was feeling unwell, Plumb passed away on Sunday morning after being removed from life support.
Plumb had three daughters, two stepsons, and thirteen grandkids. He wore a thick mustache of salt and pepper. Kathy Plumb, his wife of 24 years, also survives him.
According to Holly Plumb, he urged the nurse to do all in her power to rescue him before he was placed on life support. And I really believe that he wished to live for his grandchildren.
Holly Plumb, the daughter of Guy Plumb, age 61. (Holly Plumb contributed the photo.)Holly Plumb donated the image.
Huron Inc. s history with Legionnaires disease
Holly Plumb was perplexed for months as to how her father got Legionnaires’ disease.
However, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or MIOSHA, opened an investigation in November 2023, three months after Plumb’s passing. According to case papers made available under the Freedom of Information Act, Huron Inc. was aware of the Legionnaires’ threat years before Plumb became ill.
The facility had previously had a Legionella-contaminated water source, according to a MIOSHA violation record, therefore the hazard was known.
After two staff were admitted to the hospital with Legionella in 2020, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services found the bacteria in the facility’s water. After that, Huron Inc. had to take corrective action to resolve the problem.
However, three years later, the germs developed once more.
Plumb was slain. A second worker was ill for six weeks as a result. In December 2023, a third employee who had been experiencing respiratory symptoms for months tested positive.
Following the start of the inquiry, MIOSHA conducted an inspection of Huron Inc. and took 19 water samples. The identical genetic strain of Legionella that attacked Plumb was discovered by the state government in four locations across the industrial facility.
“It caused my dad’s death,” Holly Plumb stated. He would never have realized what had transpired. And it can kill a person that fast.
Following an eight-month investigation, MIOSHA concluded that Huron Inc. had not provided a workplace free from a known hazard.
The manufacturer received a 10% reduction because it hadn’t received a citation in the previous five years, but it still risked the maximum penalty of $7,000 for a significant violation of state law. MIOSHA also fined it $4,000 for failing to notify the state of Plumb’s death.
Huron Inc. was also directed to replace pipes in impacted locations, sanitize with bleach, and set water tanks to 122 degrees as part of the further corrective actions.
Holly Plumb thinks that Huron Inc. will act morally to protect its workers going forward and that their efforts will be sufficient to eliminate the pathogen.
People’s lifeblood is this. To provide for their families, they go to work. “They’re going to be so sick that they’re in the hospital, so they don’t go to work expecting three days later,” she said.
The unexpected loss of Guy Plumb still hurts more than a year later.
Last summer, his family threw a tiny memorial service for the man who enjoyed doing handiwork. Huron Inc. had to load a flatbed truck full of the several maintenance tools he left behind. For Thanksgiving, Holly Plumb, who used to speak to her father daily, prepared his well-known peach pie.
He’s still the person I want to talk to if I’m having a rough day at work, she added.
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