Employer in fatal Mobile, Ala., sewer accident had prior OSHA safety citations
(UI) — Two workers who died during a sewer bypass project in Mobile, Alabama, were employed by a company with a history of safety violations, according to Fox 10 News.
Federal records show the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Construction Labor Services in 2023 for failing to provide fall protection and proper hazard communication during manhole work. The settlement, classified as “informal,” did not include a fine.
Mobile police identified the victims as Garrett Robertson, 31, and Herber Rivas, 50, who were overcome by toxic gas Aug. 11 while working in a wooded area near Princeton Woods Drive. Police said Robertson entered a manhole and collapsed, and Rivas succumbed after attempting to help. A third worker escaped and was hospitalized.
OSHA’s 2023 report detailed that the company failed to cover an open manhole to prevent falls and did not train workers on handling hazardous chemicals like Quikrete. Those lapses occurred during a 2022 project on Zeigler Boulevard West in Mobile.
Friends and co-workers described Robertson, a Lucedale, Mississippi, father and off-road racing enthusiast, as generous and devoted to his children. Rivas’ family has not yet spoken publicly. OSHA’s investigation into the recent accident is ongoing, Fox 10 News reported.
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