Page 58 - Confined Space Training - Student Manual 2021

OSHA fined the company $49,000 for one willful violation for knowingly allowing workers to enter
a confined space at a construction site without proper training on hazard recognition and
protection.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd., has agreed to pay $294,000 in penalties
for citations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the company’s failure
to implement standards that protect workers against welding hazards while working in a confined
space. Two workers, one employed by Kiewit and the other employed by subcontractor R.B.T.
Welders Inc., were killed in a January accident at the company’s Ingleside facility.

“It is a tragedy when workers are killed or injured because employers did not follow the rules set
out to protect them,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “I am pleased that Kiewit has
agreed to make the changes needed to save lives. The implementation of these changes will
improve the safety and health of all the workers in the company.”

According to John Giefer, OSHA’s area director in Corpus Christi, OSHA investigated the January
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6 fatalities of two welders, on employed by Kiewit and the other employed by R.B.T. Welders, at
Kiewit’s Ingleside, Texas facility. The welders were fabricating steel highway bridge footings for
barge transport to a new San Francisco Bay bridge. They were killed when accumulated fuel gas
ignited in the confined space where they were working.

The company was cited for ten safety and health violations for failing to implement elements of
the “permit-required confined space” standard; failing to remove welding fuel gas hoses during
downtime; not using adequate ventilation for welding operations performed in a permit space; and
failing to use electrical equipment according to instructions. The “permit-required confined space”
standard must be followed when work is performed within a confined space, such as a bridge
compartment footing. The standard calls for testing the air in a confined space, coordination of
entry with multiple employers, permit use, rescue provisions, and training of workers on the
potential hazards prior to assigned duties.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The alleged failure of three Hugo, OK companies to train employees
and give them adequate gear for working inside confined spaces with unsafe air has resulted in
proposed penalties totaling $427,500 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety
and Health Administration.

OSHA’s Oklahoma City office began its investigation of R Repair Kar, Seaboard Container
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Cleaning and 1 Odessey Group on December 10 following complaints it received there were
employees entering and performing work inside railcars without adequate respiratory equipment.
Several employees have suffered long-term illnesses due to the exposure.

“When untrained workers enter confined spaces with unsafe atmospheric conditions, they can
easily become captive victims,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L Chao. “OSHA standards

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