OSHA fines drilling company in case of electrocuted worker
OSHA has fined a South Florida company $8,771 because of a worker who died after being electrocuted while drilling a hole for the Kirkman Road expansion project, according to federal records.
OSHA took three months to respond to the Orlando Sentinel’s records request about the accident.
On Aug. 15, 2019, the unidentified man used a drilling machine to collect soil samples when the drill struck a 12,000-volt underground power line, according to OSHA.
Them an was taken to the hospital where he died 11 days later from a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen “due to complications of resuscitated electrocution,” according to OSHA.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency that investigates workplace safety, closed its investigation against the company them an worked for, Miamibased J&R Precision Drilling, in June.
“It’s a very sad incident,” said a man who answered the phone listed for J&R Precision Drilling on Tuesday.
He declined to be identified and would not comment further on the OSHA fine.
The land was owned by Universal Orlando, although OSHA noted that Universal Orlando had delegated control of the site to an engineering firm it had hired for the project, so Universal would not face any fines or citations.
Controversial because of the $125 million in public money helping to build it, the Kirkman Road expansion is
a major road construction project that will eventually extend to Universal’s third theme park, Epic Universe.
Leaders at Universal’s owner Comcast Corp. had said they are pausing Epic Universe’s construction during the pandemic and will wait to start building again once the economy recovers fromthe coronavirus pandemic.