Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc.
Outcome
Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. was cited for three willful OSHA violations and fined $602,938 after a worker died following entry into an inadequately ventilated confined space containing organic chemical residue at a customer facility in Twinsburg, Ohio.
Details
Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. — Confined Space Fatality, Willful Violations (2025)
Outcome: A worker died after entering a confined space containing organic chemical residue at a Twinsburg, Ohio customer facility; Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. was cited for three willful OSHA violations and fined $602,938 for failure to ventilate the space, test the atmosphere, and have rescue equipment on site.
Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc., a large industrial waste management and environmental services company, sent a worker to perform confined space work at a customer facility in Twinsburg, Ohio in 2025. The confined space contained organic chemical residue. The worker entered and died after being exposed to the hazardous atmosphere inside.
OSHA's investigation found three willful violations: failure to properly ventilate the confined space before entry, failure to test the atmospheric conditions (oxygen level, flammable gas concentration, toxic chemical presence) before the worker entered, and failure to deploy required rescue equipment — specifically a tripod, mechanical winch, and full-body retrieval harness — that would allow a non-entry rescue if a worker became incapacitated. All three failures were classified as willful, meaning OSHA determined the company was aware of the legal requirements and chose not to comply.
OSHA proposed a penalty of $602,938.
Primary Source: Federal investigators cite waste management company for failure to implement confined space entry requirements resulting in worker fatality
How Crucible Prevents This
Confined space entry for industrial waste management at customer facilities requires portable atmospheric testing, ventilation, and retrieval equipment — all three of which were absent here. A Crucible pre-task session gate requiring confirmed equipment deployment before any permit-required confined space entry is authorized would have blocked this entry until all three controls were in place.
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