KEY LARGO, Fla. – Two companies have been fined nearly $120,000 after the deaths of three men who were working on a Florida Keys road project.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced in a news release Tuesday that Douglas N. Higgins Inc. and its related contracting company, McKenna Contracting LLC, were being cited for 10 serious violations in the Jan. 16 deaths of Elway Gray, 34, Louis O'Keefe, 49, and Robert Wilson, 24.
Recommended Videos
An Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation found that the men had succumbed to lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide after entering a manhole in Key Largo.
According to the news release, the violations are "for failing to purge or ventilate the confined space before entry, exposing the workers to an asphyxiation hazard, and not providing necessary rescue and emergency equipment" for the men.
"Three employees needlessly lost their lives and others were injured due to their employer's failure to follow safe work practices," OSHA regional director Condell Eastmond said in a statement.
Telephone messages seeking comment from Higgins and McKenna weren't immediately returned.