Worker Asphyxiation Brings Fine for Railcar Service Provider

OSHA is proposing a $551,226 fine against a Wilmington, Del., railcar service provider after an employee asphyxiated while working on a railcar in Pittston, Pa.

Dana Rail Care was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the worker died in May 2019 inside a railcar containing crude oil sludge.

OSHA cited the company for four willful and three serious violations for failing to protect employees from the hazards of entering permit-required confined spaces, and inadequate respiratory protection procedures. Dana also was placed in the safety agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

Enforcement actions for severe violators include mandatory ...