OSHA has cited a railcar service provider for confined space hazards after an employee fatality in Pennsylvania and faces $551,226 in proposed penalties. An employee asphyxiated in May 2019, while servicing a rail car containing crude oil sludge. OSHA cited the company for four (4) willful and three (3) serious violations for failing to protect employees from the hazards of entering permit-required confined spaces, and inadequate respiratory protection procedures. OSHA has placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. OSHA offers several resources on Confined Spaces, including an Atmospheric Testing in Confined Spaces fact sheet, and a Permit-Required Confined Spaces booklet.
Here is a breakdown of the citations:
