Tank Cleaner Fined $226,310 After Worker's Death in Confined Space

This is the fourth time Dedicated TCS LLC failed to address dangerous confined space hazards, according to OSHA.

  • Apr 12, 2016

OSHA announced an enforcement case against Dedicated TCS LLC, with the agency reporting the New Orleans company failed to test the atmosphere inside a railcar before three employers entered the tank on Oct. 8, 2015, or to mandate that the workers attach a lifeline to their harness to allow a rescue. One of the workers died due to the incident.

Dedicated TCS LLC is a tank cleaning service with about 55 employees in Louisiana and Illinois, according to OSHA.

The company faces $226,310 in proposed fines for two willful, three repeat, and four serious violations for exposing workers to hazardous health conditions, including failure to test atmospheric conditions within a confined space before allowing workers to enter and evaluate a rescuer's ability to respond in a timely manner and function appropriately while rescuing entrants from confined spaces.

"Dedicated TCS continues to ignore crucial safety procedures for working in confined space. This is the fourth time OSHA has found this employer in violation of federal safety standards," said Dorinda Folse, OSHA's area director in Baton Rouge. "Sadly, the company's inaction has cost a man his life."

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