OSHA: Safety violations led to deaths of 14 firefighters
Unsafe conditions and “management failure” led to the deaths of 14 firefighters in a wildland fire that occurred near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in July 1994, concluded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after an investigation of almost seven months. Thirteen of the firefighters were from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and one was from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). (See “Tragedy on Storm King Mountain,” Fire Engineering, January 1995.)
The report, prepared by Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear, noted: “Based on evidence collected from on-site observations, document reviews and numerous interviews, OSHA has determined that BLM and USFS violated standard firefighting procedures. They also failed to recognize and respond in a timely manner to numerous factors that, together, clearly identified the South Canyon fire as highly hazardous to firefighting personnel.”
The Notices of Unsafe Conditions issued to the BLM and USFS cited one alleged willful and one alleged serious violation. The willful violation was based on a finding that the management of the two agencies demonstrated “plain indifference” to the safety and health of their employees. “Management officials were aware of the conditions and practices at the site of the fire but failed to determine the extent of danger and thus did not take the necessary corrective actions,” the report explained.
The following is quoted directly from the U.S. Department of Labor`s news release:
The alleged willful citation was that in fighting the South Canyon fire, the agency management did not enforce the safety provisions of the National Wildfire Coordination Group Fireline Handbook:
The identity of the incident commander was not effectively communicated to firefighters.
Adequate safety zones and escape routes were not established for and identified to employees.
Available weather forecasts and ex-pected fire behavior information were not provided to employees.
Adequate fire lookouts were not used on the fire.
Hazardous downhill fireline construction did not follow established safe practices and proper safety precautions.
The alleged serious citation said the agencies failed to provide sufficient management oversight to ensure that existing safe firefighting practices were followed:
Management failed to provide firefighters with comprehensive fire behavior information to include fuel type/moisture, topography, and local weather forecasts.
Management failed to ensure that the evolution of the incident command system was commensurate with the fire threat.
Even though fires in the surrounding area (the Bunniger Fire and the Paonia Fire), with similar fuels, were exhibiting extreme fire behavior, management failed to follow the safety practices for blow-up conditions.
Management failed to conduct adequate workplace inspection of firefighting operations to include on-site, front-line evaluations.
The OSHA report recommended several “feasible and acceptable methods of abating the hazards.” The five federal wildland firefighting agencies subsequently undertook a comprehensive management review that highlighted the importance of management involvement and accountability in ensuring the health and safety of wildland firefighters. The review team also developed a detailed corrective action plan, most of which will be implemented before the 1995 Western fire season. OSHA believes this interagency management review team report was an excellent report and blueprint for change.
For more information, contact Frank Kane, OSHA, at (202) 219-8151.
