OSHA Seeking $65K in Penalties in Colorado Envirotech Worker Death
June 11, 2018
Federal regulators are proposing nearly $65,000 in penalties for a Colorado company where a worker died after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning the inside of a rail car.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that EnviroTech Services of Greeley didn’t provide respiratory protection, didn’t properly ventilate the car and didn’t have an emergency rescue plan.
Jose Miguel Cisneros died in December. A co-worker who tried to rescue him also was overcome by the fumes while they worked at EnviroTech’s plant in Evans.
EnviroTech provides deicing, anti-icing, dust control, soil stabilization and erosion control, according to its website. The Greeley Tribune reports the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
OSHA Denver Area Office Director Herb Gibson has held an informal conference with EnviroTech Services to discuss the citations and work toward an informal settlement.
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June 7, 2018
U.S. Department of Labor Cites a Colorado
Chemical Manufacturer
DENVER, CO –
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited EnviroTech Services Inc. – based in Greeley, Colorado – after an employee died due to lack of oxygen while cleaning the inside of a railcar. A second employee who tried to rescue the co-worker was also overcome, but survived. EnviroTech Services Inc. faces $64,857 in proposed penalties.
OSHA cited the chemical manufacturer for failing to provide respiratory protection; properly ventilate a confined space; implement a permit-required confined space program; and have an emergency rescue plan in place.
“This fatality could have been prevented if the employer had complied with confined space requirements and provided protective equipment,” said Herb Gibson, OSHA Denver Area Office Director.
EnviroTech Services Inc. has held an informal conference with OSHA’s area director to discuss the citations in an attempt to enter into an informal settlement agreement.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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GREELEY, Colo. (AP) —
Authorities say a worker died after he apparently inhaled toxic fumes while he was cleaning a train car in northern Colorado.
The Greeley Tribune reports 35-year-old Jose Miguel Cisneros and a co-worker were found unconscious in a maintenance rail yard in Evans on Tuesday. Cisneros, who worked for Envirotech in Greeley, died at a hospital, and the other man's condition has not been released.
Investigators say the train car had been used to transport hazardous material.
No other information was released.
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This past Christmas, in his family's hometown of Long Beach, Calif., Jose Miguel Cisneros — "Miguel" to his family — gathered his brothers and sister and cousins together and told them they all needed to stick together.
It was a powerful revelation for the family, who had scattered through the years. Cisneros himself hadn't returned to California for 12 years, his family said. But he was the oldest of five children and, his family said, he'd always been the unifying force between them. If he said they needed to stick together, they would.
And they did. In fact, by the time Cisneros died Tuesday in a hazardous material incident in Evans, he'd been making plans to travel back to California for Christmas at the home of his younger brother, Danny Cisneros. Miguel Cisneros was found unresponsive about 8:30 a.m. that morning in a rail yard in the 6000 block of 47th Avenue in Evans, along with one other co-worker. Authorities believe the two men, who worked for EnviroTech Services in Greeley, were cleaning a rail car that had been carrying a hazardous material and inhaled the fumes. First responders rushed both men to North Colorado Medical Center, where Cisneros later died. The second man's condition has not been released, according to a news release from the Weld County Coroner's office.
Danny, who said he saw Miguel — 9 years his senior — as a father-figure, had been on the phone with him that morning before his death.
"I spoke with him on the day of the accident," Danny said. "It was just 'I'll call you back, bro.' I missed a call later (that day) about 9 a.m. I don't know if it was paramedics calling."
Danny and Miguel talked all the time and not just about the good things. Three years ago, in the grip of a difficult time in his life, Danny told Miguel he wanted to kill himself. Miguel, being the father-figure he always had been to his youngest brother, reminded him he had more to live for, especially his kids. As he did for all his siblings when dark times arrived, he reminded Danny everything was going to get better. Life is hard, he'd say, but keep moving forward.
So Danny did, just as Miguel had throughout his life. He left Long Beach at 18 after graduating high school and moved to Alabama, where he took up various jobs such as working at a grocery store or in construction. He made his way to Greeley after that, where he got the job at EnviroTech. His family remembered him as a hard worker who made his two children and his family a priority, and he worked for them.
He'd had a relationship and a child in Alabama, but it was at church 11 years ago he met Maria Cisneros, his wife and the mother of his son. The life they built in Greeley was happy — Miguel worked and in his spare time, he took his family to the mountains because he always wanted to be outside, his son, David, said.
Miguel, like his siblings, spoke both English and Spanish, but Maria is not bilingual. When asked what were some of the things she loved most about her husband, she answered with two syllables, quick and confident: "Todo."
After a brief silence she repeated the word again. It was a statement, a fact.
"Todo" is the Spanish word for "everything."
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Obituary for José Miguel Cisneros Jose Miguel Cisneros, 35, of Long Beach California, passed away December 5th 2017 in Greeley, Co.
He was born June 27th 1982 to Raul and Marina Cisneros. In 2006 he met the love of his life, Maria Cisneros at church.
Jose was a wonderful husband, father & brother. He always put his family before anything. Jose was a hardworking and dedicated man who would never hesitate to help anyone out. He will be missed by many.
He is preceded in death by his cousin Jenny Espericueta.
His is survived by his wife Maria Cisneros; son, David Cisneros; daughter, Violet Cisneros; parents, Raul and Marina Cisneros & 3 brothers and one sister.