Utility contractors fined after fatal explosion

An explosion last July in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, that killed a firefighter was caused by two utility contractors when they failed to establish the location of underground utilities prior to beginning excavation work, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said in a news release. Verizon Wireless had contracted with Bear Communications LLC of Lawrence, Kansas, for a fiber optics project in Sun Prairie. Bear had subcontracted with VC Tech Inc., of Ypsilanti, Michigan. VT Tech’s employees were working in the vicinity of the explosion but had evacuated before the explosion, according to a Bear spokesperson. ... Read More