Worker of Florida Company Drowns After Sediment Collapse in Canal, OSHA Reports

Worker of Florida Company Drowns After Sediment Collapse in Canal, OSHA Reports

The employer, Erosion Barrier Installations Corp. of Davie, was cited for two willful and 10 serious violations.

A diver working in Florida lost their life when sediment collapsed, causing them to drown. Now, the employer is being cited for 12 violations.

According to a news release, the diver, only 22 years old, was working to remove sand in a Margate canal when they became trapped by sediment falling on them. The diver drowned.

The employer, Erosion Barrier Installations Corp. of Davie, was cited for a total of 12 violations— two willful and 10 serious—after an OSHA investigation into the April incident. According to the news release, the violations were for:

  • “Failing to train divers in dive-related physics and physiology.
  • Not training dive teams on equipment use, techniques and emergency procedures required to perform underwater tasks safely.
  • Not ensuring that all dive team members are CPR-trained.
  • Failing to require that an experienced dive team member supervise dredging operations in a canal with zero-visibility.
  • Failing to have an emergency aid list at the worksite.
  • Performing underwater dredging in a canal without a standby diver.
  • Not providing employees with harnesses capable of distributing the pull forces over divers' bodies.”

They now face $46,409 in proposed penalties.

This is not the first time Erosion Barrier Installations Corp. has been cited. In April 2011, OSHA cited them after a “fatal diving incident.”

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.

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