Company Fined $75,000 for Exposing Workers to Carbon Monoxide

A crew of six workers from a property maintenance company was cleaning a condo’s underground parking garage using four gasoline-powered washers, which emit carbon monoxide. While they were power washing, the internal exhaust fans in the garage stopped working. The building superintendent told a company supervisor that an electrician should be on site to repair the fans. The workers continued to wash using portable fans. But one worker exited the garage and collapsed on the sidewalk. He died from carbon monoxide toxicity. The others were treated for carbon monoxide exposure and released. The MOL investigation found that the crew and supervisor hadn’t gotten any formal training on the hazards of carbon monoxide or measures that can be taken for protection from carbon monoxide poisoning. So the company pleaded guilty to failing to limit the exposure of workers to carbon monoxide and was fined $75,000 [Ground Maintenance Cleaning Contractors Inc., Govt. News Release, July 13, 2016].