Saturday’s explosion and fire in the Old Market could have been prevented, an official with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday.
Jeff Funke, OSHA’s Omaha director, released a statement announcing an investigation into the explosion.
“These types of incidents are preventable if OSHA standards are followed. Employers conducting work in the vicinity of underground utilities such as gas and water lines are required to determine the exact location of the underground utilities through safe and acceptable means,” Funke said.
OSHA says they are working with M’s Pub and Unite Private Networks for the investigation, which included North Central Service.
Employees of North Central Service were conducting boring operations for Unite Private Networks, the agency says, as part of a project to install fiber optic cable.
Funke says it highlights the importance of emergency plans.
Watch KMTV Action 3 News at 5 to hear more from OSHA.
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