Camp Clearwater fined nearly $13,000 after employee killed in propane explosion
BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Department of Labor has issued citations and fines to Camp Clearwater in White Lake, following an inspection after an employee was killed in a propane explosion in May.
The Labor Department cited Clearwater Enterprises Inc. with four alleged serious violations and one alleged non-serious violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina with a total penalty of $12,937.50.
On May 22, a 56-year-old female employee at Camp Clearwater Campground was severely burned while attempting to fill a propane cylinder at the business propane filling station. She later died from her injuries.
According to one of the citations from the NC DOL, the safe operating switch for the dispenser was missing one of the four screws holding the cover on the switch box and another wasn’t tight, allowing an 1/8″ gap between the cover and switch box. The employee was fatally injured when a cloud of LPG vapor ignited while she was refilling the cylinder for a customer.
Other citations include improper training of the employees who operate the LPG dispenser, and cigars and cigarettes were smoked in the shed containing the dispenser.
The penalties collected by the N.C. Department of Labor must be remitted to the Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund, which then distributes the monies to the public school system.
Camp Clearwater has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to request an informal conference with the Labor Department, to file a notice of contest with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission of North Carolina or to pay the penalty.
