Six months after a deadly gas explosion destroyed JJ's Restaurant in Kansas City, MO and killed one of its employees, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $161,000 in fines. The Kansas City Star reports that Heartland Midwest LLC crew — the drilling company involved with the explosion — has been cited for not properly training its crew, not outfitting its crew in "required equipment," and that the crew "improperly relied on 'ill-defined hand signals' to communicate." A statement from OSHA squarely blames Heartland Midwest: "This explosion was a tragic event that stemmed from errors on behalf of Heartland Midwest." Heartland Midwest has 15 days to contest the findings and proposed fines, and its lawyers confirm they intend to.
OSHA has also cited JJ's restaurant for having a "deficient emergency action plan." The fine is $2,000. A lawyer for JJ's told Fox 4 that the restaurant will meet OSHA and that they "hope to resolve the issue." Missouri Gas and Energy — the utility company involved with explosion — faces potential penalties from the Missouri Public Safety Commission, who will report their findings and recommended penalties next month.
· OSHA Cites Drilling Company in Fatal Explosion at JJ's Restaurant [KC Star]
· OSHA fines companies more than $160,000 in JJ's explosion [Fox 4]
· All JJ's Restaurant Coverage on Eater [-E-]