OSHA has issued $206,945 in fines to a power plant, and one of its contractors after a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas leak killed two workers and injured four others inside a PRCS last August. The power company was fined $77,605, while the contractor that was performing maintenance at the plant was fined $129,340. OSHA says it found the power plant failed to properly communicate to its contractor the dangers that the workers faced in the vault (PRCS). It found that the contractor failed to provide the proper respiratory protection for the workers. A five-man contractor crew entered into the PRCS to remove an elbow joint from a pipe, while one power plant employee supervised from the top. At some point, the pipe burst, releasing H2S and likely a sludge of coal waste. Here are the OSHA citations for the contractor:
