Fines levied in men's deaths

The Post and Courier

State authorities have handed down three serious safety citations against an equipment rental company for an April accident near McClellanville that left two employees dead from electrocution.

The citations that the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued to Stage Presence Equipment Rentals LLC carry a combined $5,000 in fines. Stage Presence has until later this month to protest.

Dexter Keyes, 37, and John Fortney, 45, were killed around 4 p.m. April 23 while helping set up a tent for a fundraiser at Thornhill Farm on U.S. Highway 17. The 100-acre facility is run by Healing Farm Ministries, a faith-based charity for people with developmental disabilities. The tents were for Healing Farm's Showdeo that weekend.

OSHA issued the citations June 11 and released them this week after notifying Stage Presence. The citations charge the company with letting employees work around electrical hazards without necessary safety training; failing to alert workers to hazards with appropriate techniques such as signs, warning tags or barricades; and failing to take protective measures, such as grounding overhead lines, before starting work.

The first two violations each carry a penalty of $1,500 and the third is $2,000. The company has until July 14 to respond.

OSHA's summary gives this account of the accident:

Two members of staging company Memorable Moments asked Stage Presence foreman Alex Clayson to move a 20-by-20-foot tent. Four Stage Presence workers β€” Clayson, Keyes, Fortney and John Robinson β€” picked up the tent. While moving it, Clayson identified a power line and told everyone to be careful.

The men placed the tent on the ground, but were asked to move it once more. When they grabbed the tent to move it backward, it made contact with the overhead power line and shocked them.

Keyes died at the scene and Fortney a short time later at East Cooper Medical Center, Charleston County authorities have said. OSHA said that Clayson and Robinson suffered severe electrical burns and that both were released from the hospital the next day.

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@post andcourier.com.