Labor department cites Watertown for violations that led to worker's death

March 10--WATERTOWN -- The state Department of Labor has issued five serious citations against the city for alleged safety law violations that contributed to the death of a city wastewater treatment worker last November.

Gregory Eliopoulos, 54, of Sackets Harbor, was working at the city's wastewater treatment plant on Nov. 20 when a fitting he was adjusting on an energized high-pressure hydraulic line came off and fatally struck him.

Public Employee Safety and Health was called in to investigate what happened. Municipalities notify PESH, the state version of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to investigate circumstances like this.

Mr. Eliopoulos was exposed to the release of stored energy hazards while shutting down some equipment in the plant, according to PESH. A coworker also was exposed to the hazardous energy. The two workers were repairing the leaking hydraulic line when the accident occurred.

"The release of stored energy caused the hydraulic line to strike the employee in the head resulting in his death," according to the report.

The violations also include: employees not receiving training on the equipment and the city failing to provide specific steps for the shutdown. The city also was cited with an electrical violation that could result in employees coming in contact to electrical current. The city also was cited for two non-serious violations.

A little before 3 p.m. Friday, City Manager Sharon A. Addison confirmed that PESH issued a "Notice of Violation and Order to Comply" as a result of the investigation into Mr. Eliopoulos's death. The city was notified earlier on Friday afternoon via certified mail.

During the PESH investigation, the city became aware of safety deficiencies and already began working to address them prior to receiving the formal report, according to a city press release.

"The city takes these violations very seriously and will be working to rectify these violations and strengthen our safety program, not only at the (wastewater treatment plant), but also city-wide during the coming months," the press release said.

The city must rectify the violations by May 7. The city could be fined $50 per day for each non-serious violation and $200 per day for serious violation until they are corrected.

Ms. Addison added that the city intends to address the violations before being fined.

On Friday morning, the central region office of the Civil Service Employees Association announced that the city was cited for violations that contributed to Mr. Eliopoulos's death. Mr. Eliopoulos was a CSEA member.

In the prepared statement, CSEA Central Region President Colleen Wheaton blamed the city for the accident.

"This was no accident, because it was preventable," she said. "The city's failure to properly train their workers on how to safely operate some very high-powered equipment and other serious safety violations involving that equipment cost our member his life."

Jefferson County 911 dispatch received a call of a workplace accident that occurred about 6 p.m. that night at the wastewater treatment plant, 700 W.T. Field Drive.

Mr. Eliopoulos, a process worker with the wastewater treatment plant for 10 years, was taken by ambulance to Samaritan Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

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