Anchorage Daily News

FAIRBANKS -- A federal agency has fined a contractor in a deadly accident last year at Rock Creek Mine in Nome.

Contract ironworkers Tyler Kahle, 19, of Tomahawk, Wis., and Craig Bagley, 27, of Anchorage died in July 2007 when a manlift they were operating fell on its side.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration on Thursday fined Alaska Mechanical Inc. $115,000 for inadequate training and unsafe equipment use.

The federal investigation found the manlift hadn't been set on solid ground and that the hydraulic cylinder for the lift wasn't designed for load-bearing support while the boom was in operation. Investigators also said the manlift operator wasn't properly trained.

The victims were bolting a metal roof to the mill building. As their shift ended, they were preparing to ride the lift to the ground when it became unsteady. The lift basket hit the side of the mill, toppling a boom. Both men were tied off to the basket.

Management policies and procedures fell short of the company's responsibility to train employees before they are assigned to operate equipment, acting assistant secretary of labor Richard Stickler said.

The company still questions the causes of the accident, despite the federal agency's investigation, Alaska Mechanical's chief financial officer Kurt Imig said in a statement.

"There are a lot of questions," Imig said. "They (inspectors) look and say training was inadequate for the operator. We don't know how they came to some of their conclusions yet. We definitely want to focus on the future, and part of focusing on the future is knowing what happened in the past."

"We deeply feel for the families, co-workers and friends that have been hurt by this accident," Imig said.

Monetary fines are the only penalty attached to the citations, MSHA spokeswoman Amy Louviere said.

Alaska Mechanical Inc. specializes in large industrial facilities and has offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Imig said the company has had no serious accidents.

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