Hyvac Inc. was cited for two serious OSHA violations and fined $28,135 after a pipefitter was fatally injured by a pressurized HVAC piping system at the Bal Harbor Shops expansion project in August 2025.

Hyvac Inc. — Fatal Pressurized HVAC Struck-By, Bal Harbor Shops (2025–2026)

Outcome: One pipefitter killed at a mall expansion project; OSHA cited Hyvac Inc. for two serious violations and proposed $28,135 in penalties for failure to verify piping was free from stored pressure before work and failure to train workers on pressurization hazards.

Hyvac Inc., a Fort Lauderdale-based air conditioning and HVAC contractor, was performing installation work at the Bal Harbor Shops expansion project in August 2025. During the work, a pipefitter was fatally injured when "a pressurized HVAC piping system" released. The worker was removing HVAC end caps on piping that had not been verified free of stored pressure before work began.

OSHA cited two serious violations. The first was failure to verify that piping was free from stored pressure before the worker began servicing the system. The second was failure to train workers to recognize the hazards of removing HVAC end caps on lines that may still be under pressure. Both violations fall within OSHA's "Focus Four" struck-by hazard category, one of the leading causes of construction worker fatalities.

The agency proposed a penalty of $28,135. The employer cited the incident date as August 28, 2025.

Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites Florida air conditioning contractor for exposing workers to struck-by hazards after worker fatality