The state Labor Department has cited the Village of Tarrytown for the deaths of two village employees who were overcome by deadly gases after descending into a manhole.
In the report, labor officials say they issued Tarrytown with four violations for not having an active confined-space policy that may have prevented the Labor Day deaths.
Officials say Department of Public Works worker and volunteer firefighter Anthony Ruggiero, and firefighter John Kelly, were both overcome by deadly sewer gases in a manhole behind a village firehouse.
Ruggiero and Kelly were both found to have gone into the manhole without checking the air quality or using breathing equipment, but labor officials say the village stopped making employees follow the safety protocol in 2004.
Tarrytown Administrator Michael Blau says village officials are still reviewing the report. He says a professional safety and environmental consulting firm has also been hired to review the matter and identify other potential hazards.
Tarrytown residents raise funds for fallen firefighters' families