The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Dana Railcare for confined space hazards after an employee asphyxiated in May 2019 in Pittston, PA. The company is based in Wilmington, DE.

An employee was servicing a rail car containing crude oil sludge and asphyxiated. OSHA cited the company for four willful and three serious violations for failing to protect employees from the hazards of entering permit-required confined spaces, and inadequate respiratory protection procedures. The company is also now in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

The railcar service provider faces $551,226 in proposed penalties.

“This tragedy could have been prevented if the employer had followed proper safety procedures for entering and cleaning railcars,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. “Employers that fail to comply with the law will continue to see full and fair enforcement.”

“Companies are legally required to test and monitor confined spaces for oxygen content before and during entry to confined spaces,” said OSHA Wilkes-Barre Area Director Mark Stelmack.

Read more about this citation and check out OSHA’s resources on confined spaces here.