'Crawl Space Remediation Company' Cited for Violations After Worker Fatally Electrocuted
The lead repair technician made contact with an electrical line and was electrocuted.
- By Alex Saurman
- Oct 20, 2022
Deenergization, training and confined spaces are the focus of a Georgia company’s recent OSHA citations after a worker lost their life.
According to a news release, in April, a lead repair technician of East Coast Crawl LLC, operating as Crawlspace Medic of Savannah and a franchise of Crawlspace Medic LLC, was “digging a shallow drainage trench under a home” and was fatally electrocuted when they and an electrical line made contact.
The employer, East Coast Crawl LLC, “a crawl space remediation company,” was cited for not ensuring lines were deenergized and a lack of training on “unsafe conditions.” Additional citations involve confined-space-related violations, like not giving workers PPE in these conditions and “fail[ing] to identify all permit-required confined spaces,” OSHA said. East Coast Crawl LLC faces $31,284 in proposed OSHA penalties.
"Working in confined spaces presents hazards that can be fatal if they go unrecognized and are not appropriately mitigated," explained OSHA Acting Area Director Jerred Stevens in Savannah, Georgia, in the news release. "Employers have a legal responsibility to provide and ensure their employees have a safe workplace, but East Coast Crawl failed to follow federal safety requirements, and this worker’s family, friends and co-workers are left to grieve."
There are a total of 24 East Coast Crawl LLC locations that provide services across the U.S.
A report from the National Fire Protection Association shows that 126 workers lost their lives after they were “expose[d] to electricity” in 2020.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.