SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois Department of Labor's (IDOL) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA) released a report detailing the investigation into the drowning of a public works employee in northeast Illinois.
The 20-year-old water department employee drowned in a flooded water main vault while repairing a valve in February 2023. The worker's right hand became entrapped during the repair, and he was unable to escape the vault as it flooded.
The detailed report into the death shows the failings of the water department to protect the worker, including insufficient training on operating in confined spaces and a lack of rescue capability at the worksite.
OSHA encourages workers to speak up if something doesn't seem right and to tell their supervisors if they haven't had appropriate training for the work being asked of them.
As part of a settlement agreement, the village that employed the worker agreed to create a scholarship fund in the name of the worker, to go toward students going into safety-related occupations.
The full report can be read below.
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