NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Findings from an investigation into the Public Works Department have shown that there are significant deficiencies in the overall effectiveness of the Public Works’ safety and health program.
The Department of Labor and Workforce Development recently released the findings following a death at the Public Works Department in mid-July.
Chandler Harris, who was 19 years old, was killed on July 14, after he was pinned between a wall and the garbage truck he was working on. It happened on Commerce Street.
Until that incident, the department said it had not experienced a work related death in 20 years.
The Department of Labor and Workforce Development found that the Public Works Department violated TOSHA standards by failing to provide employees with proper safety training and failed to protect employees from hazards associated with the equipment they use every day.
Investigators also found the department failed to log that the July accident resulted in an employee's death.
Metro Public Works was cited for employees who rode on the back of garbage trucks while it was in reverse and for not training employees properly.
The department has been given until September 11th to correct the violations.
