Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—OSHA fines three employers $437K for failure to protect workers, (Feb 23, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Construction Labor Services Inc. | MPW Industrial Services | MPW Industrial Services, Inc. | United States Steel Corp.
By Patricia K. Ruiz, J.D.
In one of the cases, two workers died after being exposed to sewer gas.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited three employers for 28 safety violations and proposed penalties totaling $437,394. Investigators found that the employers cited lacked required safety programs for confined spaces and other safety management and energy control practices.
Confined space entry.OSHA cited Construction Labor Services Inc. for 16 serious violations and proposed penalties of $257,707 after three workers were exposed to sewage gases, resulting in two fatalities. On August 11, 2025, the workers installing and repairing sewer lines inside of a manhole were overcome by sewer gas and became unresponsive, OSHA investigators found. While one worker was able to self-rescue, the other two workers succumbed to their injuries. OSHA investigators found the employer lacked confined space entry programs, procedures, training, and emergency response plans, including plans to determine acceptable entry conditions for confined spaces.
Unsafe working conditions.OSHA cited United States Steel Corp. (U.S. Steel) and MPW Industrial Services, Inc., (MPW) after investigators concluded the employers exposed workers at the Clairton Coke Corks plant to unsafe working conditions, including explosion, struck-by, and high-pressure injection hazards. OSHA investigators determined that U.S. Steel failed to use required safety management and energy control practices for hazardous work involving flammable gas. Investigators also found that MPW failed to provide a relief valve for a high-pressure water system and did not coordinate energy control practices for hazardous work involving flammable gas. OSHA cited U.S. Steel for seven serious and one other-than-serious violations and proposed $118,214 in penalties and cited MPW for four serious and two other-than-serious violations and proposed $61,473 in penalties.
Companies: Construction Labor Services Inc.; United States Steel Corp.; MPW Industrial Services, Inc.
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