OSHA found that an environmental remediation company did not have the equipment or trained personnel to rescue a 27-year-old worker promptly who collapsed and later died while cleaning a rail car. OSHA has cited seven willful and 14 serious safety violations, many involving permit-required confined space safety regulations. The company has also been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. OSHA determined that the employee entered a 30,000-gallon rail car on May 20, 2014, and suffered from cardiac arrhythmia. He was unable to exit the rail car on his own. The man had been on the job for about 14 months at the time of the incident. The contractor failed to monitor permit-required confined spaces; allowed entry when atmospheric conditions were unacceptable; and did not provide personal protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus and respirators. The company also failed to remove defective respirators from use. In addition, the company failed to designate trained rescue employees and use a retrieval system attached to the worker to aid in the rescue. Additionally, the contractor failed to comply with respiratory protection requirements, maintain rescue equipment, ensure ventilation equipment was used properly, and provide fall protection for workers at the top of the rail car, which exposed them to falls of 15 feet or more. A total of 14 serious citations were issued for these violations. OSHA has proposed fines totaling $188,400. Here is a breakdown of the citations:
