July 25, 2017
This tragic story provides an important reminder to workers about confined spaces: If they don’t have the proper equipment and training to perform a rescue, they’re risking their own lives by going in to help a co-worker.
OSHA has cited Douglas N. Higgins Inc. and its related contracting company, McKenna Contracting LLC, with 10 serious violations totaling $119,507 in penalties in connection with the deaths of three workers in a manhole in Key Largo, FL, on Jan. 16, 2017.
Elway Gray, 34, entered the manhole (a confined space) and quickly lost consciousness. Louis O’Keefe, 49, entered the manhole and attempted to rescue Gray. After O’Keefe also became unresponsive, Robert Wilson, 24, also went into the confined space to attempt a rescue. All three men died.
Testing showed lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide in the manhole. Two other employees and a volunteer firefighter were also exposed to the toxic gases but survived.