OSHA blames safety and training failures in June deaths at Pueblo’s Comanche Generating Station
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- A release by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) shared more details about a deadly coal pile accident that killed two workers at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo.
On June 2, first responders spent hours trying to get to two men who disappeared in an 80-foot-high coal pile.
An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found as three employees of Savage Services Corp., a subcontractor for Xcel, climbed onto the coal pile to determine if the feeder below was receiving coal. That's when the pile shifted, burying two of the workers. The third employee managed to escape without injury.
According to a Dec. 5 statement by the Department of Labor, safety procedures and inadequate training are to blame for the deaths of Kyle Bussey and Phillip Roberts. The department said their "employer failed to follow federal standards and didn't train workers on safety processes."
OSHA has since issued citations to Savage Services Corp. for one serious violation and two willful violations for failing to implement safe work practices and for not training workers as required. The company faces $304,556 in proposed penalties.
According to the DOL, a similar accident that happened in December 2020 made the company aware of the hazards surrounding that kind of work. In that incident, a coal pile collapsed onto a bulldozer at a company facility in New Mexico, trapping an employee inside the machine. They were rescued an hour later.
“A near-tragedy at another Savage Services Corp. facility in 2020 made the company acutely aware of the serious hazards for those working around coal piles and yet, two workers’ families, friends, and co-workers are now left to grieve,” said OSHA Area Director Chad Vivian in Englewood, Colo. in a statement. “With legally required standard safety practices in place and training provided, the company could have prevented this terrible incident.”
Wednesday, Savage Services Corps. provided KRDO with the following statement regarding the accident:
"Nothing is more important than safety at Savage, and we’re committed to providing robust training for our people, complying with all safety rules and regulations, and adhering to our own high standards for safety so all Team Members can return home safe each day. The loss of our two Team Members at the Comanche power plant has been devastating for all of us at Savage, and we are deeply saddened along with their families and the Pueblo community. We’re continually reviewing our safety practices to ensure our Team Members are safe. We also continue to provide support for the impacted families and express our heartfelt condolences. While we share OSHA’s goal to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, we strongly disagree with the agency’s characterizations of our practices. We will continue to cooperate with OSHA and work to resolve the matter."
Savage Services Corp.
According to the DOL, Savage Services Corp. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
