The Illinois Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Il Osha) of the Labor Department of Labor (DOL) published a report on the examination of the drowning of an employee for public work in Springfield, the agency announced on March 14.
In February 2023, a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in a 12-inch water main vault that flooded during the test repair of a leak. The maintenance worker was integrated into the flooded water vault when his right hand was caught during the repair of the valve.
The victim, who attended a local high school as a student athlete in 2020, was hired by the village as a seasonal employee from 2019 to 2021 before he became part-time maintenance worker in 2021.
The state investigators came to the conclusion that key factors that contribute to the death of the employees included the following:
- A lack of compliance with several limited space standards,
- Lack of monitoring and examination by management,
- Inadequate training about the company in narrow rooms,
- An charged 12-inch water chief that was not isolated and drained,
- Lack of danger evaluation and re -evaluation,
- Lack of rescue capacity on the construction site,
- Lack of tools for insulation of water valves on the construction site, And
- Inadequate personal protective equipment (PSA).
In order to prevent similar events, the state agency recommended that the implementation of a complement, specific, written, limited room entry program and the strict compliance with limited space standards with initial and refreshing training and supervision. The agency also called for the provision of fast and effective rescue functions on site and the requirements of management monitoring and the examination of the operations.
“This incident shows how important compliance with standards for the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Illinois, the proper risk assessment and a quick and effective rescue plan for limited space operations,” said Erik Kamambararin, head of IL Osha in a statement.
DOL reveals additional commissioners
On March 13, the DOL presented a list of additional representatives to lead the Osha and other DOL offices from federal.
Amanda Wood Laihow, who worked as a commissioner for the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health Check during the first Trump administration, will act as deputy deputy secretary for Osha.
Laihow was also the director of work and employment guidelines for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and was a deputy General Counsel for the Committee on Security and Government Matters of the US Senate Homeland Security and Deputy General Counsel at the General Services Administration (GSA).
Michael Aspen will act as Osha's senior political consultant. Previously, he worked as a main consultant of Laihow at the Commission for Safety and Health Check on Occupational Safety and Health and Consumer of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Lori Chavez-Deremer, who represented Oregon's 5th congress district in the US House of Representatives, was sworn in with a vote of 67 to 32 on March 11, as an American laboratory secretary after her confirmation in the US Senate.
According to his Linkedin,