LELAND, NC (WWAY) — A recent report from the U.S. Department of Labor shows the workplace death of a heavy equipment operator on Eagle Island was preventable.
In AugustAustin Furner, 27, drowned after his excavator tipped into the Cape Fear River.
Following an OSHA investigation, the Department of Labor found that RIGID Constructors failed to comply with federal safety standards, including by failing to provide life jackets, ring buoys or a 90-foot line in case of emergencies.
The Department of Labor fined the construction company $50,703.
WWAY has reached out to the Furner family's legal counsel, but as of Friday evening we have not heard back.