A natural gas company’s failure to provide a worker with FR clothing led to a fatality, according to OSHA, which has cited Pennsylvania-based J.R. Resources for eight safety and health violations.
The employee died from injuries sustained during a flash fire.
The company’s seven serious violations include failing to:
- require and provide flame-resistant clothing be worn when working around natural gas
- provide fall protection from stairs on brine tanks
- provide a written hazard communication program and training
- properly label tanks and prevent workers from riding in the bucket of a backhoe
The employer was also cited for utilizing an electric pump in the presence of flammable materials.
One other-than-serious violation was cited for failing to report the fatality to OSHA within eight hours, as required by law.
Proposed penalties total $22,400. J.R. Resources has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Erie, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
