by Louise Esola
Jan 21, 2025
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined a Vero Beach, Florida-based drainpipe cleaning and maintenance company $16,131 for alleged safety lapses at a worksite where a worker was killed in June 2024.
The agency said Thursday its investigation of Southeast Services of the Treasure Coast Inc. found that during the cleaning of a drainpipe at a Port St. Lucie, Florida, worksite, the pipe’s pressurized plug became over-inflated, causing an explosion so powerful that it ejected one worker 15 feet from the storm drain, resulting in his death.
OSHA cited the company for a “serious” violation for failing to develop and implement procedures and train workers on how to install and remove pneumatic pipe plugs safely. This failure put workers at risk of being struck by dangerous equipment, the agency said.
Comments