The federal government has proposed more than $10,000 in fines for Universal Orlando after an investigation into the death of an employee who was electrocuted on the Men in Black: Alien Attack ride last year.
Leopoldo Buenaventura’s body was found in the rafters of the ride Nov. 8.The District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death accidental electrocution.
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued two citations for serious violations and another for a minor one.
Employees were using metal studs to stand and walk on as they maneuvered through the area, and fall protection was not provided. Universal corrected that during the inspection. The proposed penalty is $5,432.
OSHA also said Universal did not provide employees safe access when they entered and exited a confined space area from the catwalk. The proposed penalty for that was also $5,432. The violation must be abated by June 21.
A minor violation was that portable fire extinguishers were not mounted, located and identified so that they were readily accessible without subjecting the employees to injuries. No fines were proposed for that violation.
A Labor Department spokesman said Universal has not appealed the citation but still has time to do so.
“The safety of our team members and guests is always our top priority and we take these matters very seriously,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said in an email. “But we are not going to discuss the specifics of this situation.”
Buenaventura, 60, had worked as a Universal ride technician for 12 years, according to an online obituary. He had previously spent more than 20 years working as an airline aeronautics engineer.