11.3 C
New York

Carrier Cited For Worker’s Death In Tanker Explosion

Published:

By Summer Smith

Company Cited For Workers DeathLast week, OSHA announced that Plains Trucking, of Ross, North Dakota, has been cited for nine safety violations stemming from the March 27, 2013, death of a 19-year-old employee.

On March 27, Trevor Davis was cleaning the inside of a crude oil tanker. While Davis was inside the tanker, another worker lowered a treble light and the tanker exploded.  Davis was killed.  The other worker, Darin Songer-Bail, suffered a concussion and a head laceration.

An OSHA investigation found that the employees were not properly trained and did not understand the hazards of working conditions in the tanker.

Eric Brooks, OSHA’s area director in Bismarck, said that treble lights are not approved for that use.

“The company failed in its responsibility to train workers and evaluate the working conditions of confined spaces, which carry unique hazards, before allowing workers to enter,” said Brooks. “No job should cost a person’s life because of an employer’s failure to properly protect and train workers.”

OSHA found serious safety violations: 
Failure to evaluate the need for personal protective equipment.
Lack of machine guarding on pulleys and belts.
Failure to develop and implement a written respiratory protection program.
Use of electrical lighting not approved for a hazardous location.
Failure to compile a list of chemicals, such as crude oil, which was in use.
Failure to provide workers training on those chemical hazards and precautions.
A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

OSHA fined Plains Trucking $28,000.

 

This Week in Trucking

Videos