Politics & Government

OSHA Investigation of Death of Holliston Tree Worker to Examine Workplace Practices

The investigation is expected to take several weeks.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will conduct an investigation into the death of a Holliston landscaper for the next several weeks.

The agency cannot say how long the investigation will continue. Until the findings are released, OSHA will not comment on specifics, a spokesman said Friday by email.

Ryan Hopkins, 26, a 10-year employee of Ahronian Landscape & Design, died Tuesday after a saw he was using to cut a tree limb on Shaw Farm Road touched an electrical line. He was air-lifted to Mass General Hospital in Boston with critical injuries, but died later that day.

OSHA opened its investigation that morning, and sent an inspector to the scene. The agency will consider whether workplace safety standards were violated, according to an email from Edmund Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor.

 "If the inspection identifies violations, OSHA could issue citations to and propose fines for the employer," he wrote.


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