🗞️ Deadly Silence Below: Two Workers Die After Alabama Contractor Skips Basic Sewer Safety

On August 11, 2025, workers from Construction Labor Services Inc. were plugging a sewer line to bypass a section for pipe replacement near Princeton Woods Drive East in Mobile, Alabama, as subcontractors for the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) on a $2.3 million contract. The first worker — Garrett Robertson, 31 — descended into a 20-foot manhole and did not return. A second worker, Herber Rivas, 50, entered the confined space to help and also became unresponsive. A third worker then went in to assist but became disoriented and was climbing out on his own as emergency responders arrived. Mobile Fire-Rescue's Technical Rescue Team extracted Robertson and Rivas from the manhole; both were transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) opened an investigation and found that Construction Labor Services Inc. had failed to implement virtually any of the federally required safeguards for confined space work. OSHA standards, codified under 29 CFR 1910.146 and in effect since 1993, require employers to evaluate confined spaces for hazardous atmospheres, conduct atmospheric testing before entry, provide ventilation and personal protective equipment, establish written entry procedures, train workers, and maintain rescue and emergency response plans. None of these protections were in place.

Manholes connected to active sewer systems are classified as permit-required confined spaces due to the presence of toxic and flammable gases — primarily hydrogen sulfide and methane — that can accumulate rapidly and render workers unconscious within seconds of exposure. OSHA's confined spaces standards also require that a trained attendant remain outside the space at all times during entry, and that rescue procedures be pre-established before any worker descends.

OSHA cited Construction Labor Services Inc. with 16 serious violations and proposed penalties totaling $257,707. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Penalties and citation statuses are subject to change through the review process.

Confined space incidents remain among the most lethal categories of workplace accidents, particularly in sewer and utility construction, and OSHA fatality data shows that fatalities from permit-required confined spaces occur at a higher rate than standard workplace injury models would predict — often because rescuers themselves become victims when entering without proper equipment or preparation.

Key Points

• On August 11, 2025, a Construction Labor Services Inc. worker descended into a 20-foot manhole in Mobile, Alabama and did not return; two coworkers entered sequentially to help — only the third escaped
• Two workers — Garrett Robertson (31) and Herber Rivas (50) — died; a third became disoriented but self-rescued as emergency crews arrived
• The workers were subcontracted to MAWSS on a $2.3 million sewer pipe replacement project
• OSHA found the company had no confined space entry program, procedures, worker training, or emergency response plans
• OSHA issued 16 serious violations and proposed fines of $257,707
• The company has 15 business days to comply, appeal, or request an informal conference
• Federal confined space rules (29 CFR 1910.146) have been in effect since 1993 and explicitly require atmospheric testing, written entry procedures, trained attendants, and rescue plans before any confined space entry

Primary Source Author: U.S. Department of Labor / OSHA Office of Public Affairs — Erika Ruthman & Eric R. Lucero

Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites Alabama contractor for exposing workers to sewage gas that resulted in 2 fatalities

Primary Source Link: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260217

Supplemental Links

• OSHA Confined Spaces Overview
• OSHA Permit-Required Confined Spaces Advisor (29 CFR 1910.146)
• OSHA Fatality Inspection Data
• OSHA Cites Construction Labor Services — Occupational Health & Safety Magazine
• Initial Incident Report — FOX10 News (August 11, 2025)
• Workers Identified, Prior OSHA Citations Revealed — FOX10 News (August 12, 2025)
• 2 Workers Die in Alabama Manhole — Equipment World