The company that employed two workers killed in the collapse of two cellphone towers in Clarksburg was fined after a fatal accident in 2009 in Missouri.
The Exponent-Telegram reports that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited S&S Communications with two “serious” violations after an employee fell from his death from a 330-foot communications tower. OSHA said the worker detached his harness but should have had a secondary tether. The company was fined $3,000.
Two workers for the Oklahoma-based company were killed last Saturday when a 300-foot tower collapsed. A firefighter also died after a second, smaller tower collapsed. OSHA is investigating.
S&S Communications declined to comment Thursday.
Tag: Tower Collapse
Cell Phone Tower Collapse Kills Three Including Firefighter
West Virginia State Police have released the names of two workers and a firefighter who were killed when two cellphone towers collapsed.
Lt. Michael Baylous on Sunday identified the workers as 32-year-old Kyle Kirkpatrick of Hulbert, Okla., and 27-year-old Terry Lee Richard Jr. of Bokoshe, Okla.
He identified the fallen firefighter as 28-old Michael Dale Garrett of Clarksburg, a member of the Nutter Fort Volunteer Fire Department.
Baylous said Kirkpatrick and Richard were working on a 300-foot cellphone tower Saturday when it collapsed in Clarksburg. Garrett was killed when a smaller cellphone tower weakened by the collapse also fell.
Two other workers suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The towers are owned by SBA Communications.
SBA Communications spokeswoman Lynne Hopkins said the company is saddened by the accident and is cooperating with investigators.
The West Virginia State Police are investigating the accident.