A Bergen County landscaper was fined more than $17,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing employees to carbon monoxide -- killing two from West New York.
Police found two AJR Landscaping Inc. workers overcome by fumes from a running lawnmower with them in a closed trailer in Washington Township around 8 a.m. last December.
The workers were found unresponsive and not breathing on the ground at the 17-acre Washington Pond condominium complex off Pascack Road and Linwood Avenue.
CPR was conducted on both at the scene before they were rushed to The Valley Hospital.
"Any time there is a gas-powered motor or engine running in an enclosed space, there is risk of exposure to exhaust fumes, which contain carbon monoxide, an odorless and poisonous gas," said OSHA Area Office Director Lisa Levy, who is based in Hasbrouck Heights.
"This tragedy was preventable if the employer had adhered to basic safety and health practices."
AJR Landscaping Inc. faces $17,051 in fines for exposing employees to carbon monoxide and failing to train employees to recognize the hazard.
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