BALTIMORE — CSX Transportation has been cited for nine “serious” violations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and faces more than $120,000 in fines, as a result of an explosion at a railroad coal terminal last December.
The Baltimore Sun reports the railroad was cited for allowing workers to enter hazardous tunnels without respirators; for using equipment in those tunnels that was not safe in hazardous areas; for not testing the air in the tunnels before employees entered; and for inadequate training and emergency planning.
No one was injured in the Dec. 30, 2021, explosion at the railroad’s Curtis Bay Coal Piers, but the blast was felt by residents miles away from the facility. At the time, the Baltimore City Fire Department blamed the explosion on a buildup of coal dust on a conveyor belt [see “Explosion damages CSX coal facility …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 30, 2021].
CSX spokeswoman Cindy Schild told the newspaper the railroad has “been in communication with OSHA regarding its June 29th letter [which outlined the violations] and are scheduled to discuss the alleged violations with the agency.” A Department of Labor spokeswoman said CSX has until July 26 to contest the citations.
The nine citations carry penalties of $11,000 to $15,000.
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