OSHA reviews Orleans probe

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.lvrj.com/news/17729704.html

Nevada's handling of matter scrutinized

By JOHN G. EDWARDS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Federal officials are trying to determine whether Nevada officials mishandled an investigation of a sewer system accident that killed two men at The Orleans last year.

Richard Terrill, acting regional administrator of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, on Monday confirmed that the federal agency is looking into Nevada OSHA's handling of the accident investigation. The review, which was spurred by a complaint filed by the mother of one of the victims, stems from a fatal accident that occurred when a maintenance crew was called to unclog a pipe in a sewer pit at The Orleans in February 2007.

Outside contractors had handled such problems in the past.

Stinking fumes were leaking into the air when Richard Luzier, 48, a married father of two, climbed into the sewer pit despite warnings from co-workers.

Luzier fell face first into the wastewater at the bottom of the pit and Travis Koehler, 26, a new journeyman engineer, jumped into the hole to save him. Both men died inside the sewer pit.

A third man, David Snow, 30, who entered the pit to help the workers, was rescued by the Clark County Fire Department.

FULL story at link.