2 companies cited for deadly fire at local plant

HOUSTON, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Labor is citing two companies after a deadly fire at a natural gas processing plant in Washington County.

OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has cited Energy Transportation LLC and MW Logistics Services LLC for serious safety violations after a deadly fire at MarkWest in Houston in December.

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Four employees were hospitalized and one of them, Jeffery Fisher, 61, of Salem, West Virginia who was badly burned in the explosion, died a few days later.

The company is being cited for violations of the pricess safety management standard and exposing employees to flammable vapor and liquid while they offloaded waste material into a mobile tank.

“Providing workers with a safe and healthful workplace is required of every employer,” said OSHA Area Director Christopher Robinson, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “This tragedy could have been prevented if the employer had followed safety processes to control the release of gases from highly hazardous chemicals.”

Energy Transportation LLC faces penalties totaling $51,148 and MW Logistics Services LLC faces $47,360 in penalties.

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Cox Media Group