Portland Environmental Company Fined $118,800 For Job Safety Violations

Portland, Ore. — The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) has imposed a fine of $118,800 on River City Environmental Inc., a Portland-based environmental and emergency services company, for violating job safety standards related to confined spaces. The penalty follows an inspection initiated after an incident reported by Portland Fire & Rescue.

The incident, which occurred on July 14, 2023, involved two members of a four-person crew employed by River City Environmental. The crew was working on filters inside a stormwater sewer system located at a brewing company. Two employees became unconscious due to the atmospheric conditions within the confined space, which contained immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) oxygen levels of 12.5 percent. The typical percentage of oxygen in the air is 20.9 percent, with a minimum of 19.5 percent required for entry into spaces without supplied air or ventilation.

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to the emergency, deploying a team to rescue the affected employees from the confined space.

Oregon OSHA cited River City Environmental for serious violations, including:

1. Not ensuring authorized employees were supervised in the practices and processes for safe entry into permit confined spaces. Proposed penalty: $9,450.
2. Failure to identify atmospheric and physical hazards that classified the space as a permit confined space. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
3. Inadequate inclusion of instructions on equipment use and maintenance, and procedures for concluding entry in the written confined space program. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
4. Failure to implement procedures for issuing and completing an entry permit, evaluating space and work hazards, and identifying safe entry conditions. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
5. Lack of initial testing for atmospheric hazards before entry and failure to ensure continuous monitoring during entry. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
6. Absence of proper equipment for air testing, monitoring, ventilation, and rescue/emergency situations. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
7. Non-compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions for testing and maintaining air monitors. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
8. Failure to provide information to employees, attendants, and supervisors about hazards and consequences inside the space. Proposed penalty: $12,150.
9. Neglecting procedures for removing entrants in emergencies and lack of training or certification in basic first aid and CPR for employees performing confined space entries. Proposed penalty: $12,150.

Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton emphasized the importance of thoroughness and risk anticipation in confined space work, underscoring the right of employees to work in a safe environment. Employers have 30 calendar days to appeal the citations after receiving them. Additional information on confined spaces is available on Oregon OSHA’s A-to-Z topic page.