OSHA has issued $77,605 in fines to a power plant after a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas leak killed two contractors 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.
At 12:40 a.m. on August 30, 2017, six employees were working inside the North LDS Pond Vault and were removing an elbow from a 24 inch LDS Pond pipe located approximately 10 feet from the bottom of the vault. Employee #1 and Employee #2 were removing the last bolts in the top flange when the elbow shifted. Hydrogen sulfide gas and ash slurry escaped from the pipe and began to fill the vault. Employees #1 and #2 were unable to escape the vault and drowned in coal ash slurry. Employees #3 through #6 escaped the vault and were hospitalized due to their exposure to the Hydrogen Sulfide.
Here are the OSHA citations for the contractor:
