Utilities Contractor Cited After Worker's Fatal Gas Exposure

A utilities contractor is facing proposed federal fines of $422,006 following the death of a worker exposed to toxic gas while working in a trench at a Dallas job site. RKM Utility Services Inc., of Richardson, Texas, was cited Dec. 31 by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The company has 15 business days to contest the citations. According to news reports, three workers were taken to the hospital on July 5 after they passed out from sewer gases while working at the construction site. A sewer line had ruptured at the bottom of the trench. Two of the workers, including th...