OSHA fines Keene company more than $18K in employee’s death last year

Case closed as of April 26, fines paid in full

May 19, 2023

NH Business Review Staff,

A Keene electrical company has been fined over $18,000 after being cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration with several “serious” violations in connection with an employee’s death at Keene’s wastewater treatment plant in North Swanzey last August, OSHA records indicate.

Michael Knicely, an Alstead resident and employee of Hamblet Electric, died by electrocution when reaching into an energized switch gear operating at 480 volts, according to the records.

OSHA initially fined the Keene company $27,680 on Jan. 19, but informal settlements on Feb. 25 reduced the total to $18,500. The agency reported the case closed on April 26, and U.S. Department of Labor public affairs specialist Ted Fitzgerald said the company paid the fines in full.

In total, OSHA records list four “serious” violations found in the agency’s investigation.

The records cite the corresponding regulations, and include the initial and settled fines to the company, but don’t otherwise elaborate on OSHA’s findings.

Categories: Law

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