A tank cleaning company again chose to disregard federal safety standards that may have protected their employees from hazardous working conditions and prevented another employee from suffering a fatal injury. In December 2023, just two days before Christmas, the wife and son of an employee at the company grew concerned when he didn’t return after his shift. Later that day, he was found unresponsive.
A workplace safety investigation by OSHA determined the fallen worker’s employer failed to ensure that atmospheric testing was done inside the tank before allowing the 53-year-old employee to enter it. The agency cited the company, whose employees clean tankers used to transport hazardous wastes, for eight repeat violations.
OSHA cited the business for the same violations in June 2020 after two workers succumbed while cleaning inside a tanker truck in November 2019.
In addition to identifying the company’s failure to conduct required testing, OSHA cited the business for seven serious violations, including the following:
