Last October two asphalt workers were killed on the job in a flash fire/explosion. A third worker survived the blast with non-life-threatening injuries.
An investigation conducted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s cited two serious violations:
-Not taking precautions against having sources of ignition where flammable vapors are present
-Not having employees wear proper personally protective uniforms while handling hot asphalt
The asphalt company responsible will pay the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration $17,000 in fines.
The vast majority of workplace injuries and fatalities are preventable.