PETAL, Miss. (AP) - A federal workplace safety agency has fined a Mississippi business nearly $28,000 after two men died while working on a sewer lift station.
The Hattiesburg American reports that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration initially proposed fines of $43,000 against Scoggins Welding and Machine Shop of Richland, but reduced them.
Employees Terry West, 45, and his son Gage West, 20, died June 13 while they were replacing a pump at a lift station in Petal. The OSHA report says Gage West was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas and became unconscious. The report says Terry West fell and suffered a blunt-force trauma injury as he tried to extract his son.
After investigating the incident, OSHA cited the Richland company for nine serious violations, including inadequate procedures, training and equipment.
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Information from: The Hattiesburg American, http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com
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