KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal agency has recommended fines of nearly $200,000 after an apprentice technician died of electrocution on a construction site in Kansas City last year — just a year after another technician working for the company was electrocuted at a construction site in Kansas.
The technician who worked for United States Engineering Services died on Aug. 24, 2022, when he contacted live parts while cleaning a refrigeration unit at the University Academy in Kansas City, Missouri, the l Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
An OSHA investigation found that the company failed to follow required procedures that could have prevented the death. The agency cited similar violations when another HVAC technician at the company was electrocuted while working on a rooftop air conditioning unit in Wichita, Kansas in July 2021.
OSHA sued US Engineering Services, a subsidiary of US Engineering, for three serious and two repeat violations and proposed fines of $197,642. The agency found similar violations after the worker’s death in Wichita. US Engineering Services paid the fines in that case.
The company has 15 business days to respond to OSHA recommendations.
US Engineering said in a statement that it has reviewed the subpoenas.
“Safety is a core value to our organization and we are committed to the health and safety of all of our team members,” the statement said. “We look forward to continuing our work with OSHA on this matter. However, as these subpoenas remain open to appeal, we currently have no further comment.
