OSHA Proposes $77,200 Fine in Chemical Storage Tank Death

Des Plaines, Ill. — The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a $77,200 fine for the owner of a chemical storage tank in which an employee was fatally injured in fall after being overcome by methylene chloride fumes.

The agency issued a public statement May 13 on its decision to fine Phoenix Industrial Cleaning of Wheeling, Ill, for dozens of safety violations found in an inspection after the death of Bernardo Martinez in November.

Among the 18 “serious” violations found in an inspection were a failure to develop and use a “confined space entry program” for workers asked …