New U. Iowa utilities contractor fined after worker’s fall

By RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A contractor that recently took over management of the University of Iowa utility system has been cited for safety violations after a worker fell into an underground steam tunnel and was injured. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Engie North America for five violations in connection with the March 25 incident in which a steamfitter fell 20 feet from a ladder down a maintenance hatch. Engie agreed to pay a $16,000 penalty as part of a settlement reached last month, and says it has repaired one ladder and taken another out of service. Engie also defends its overall safety record. The company took over the university’s utilities operations under a landmark $1.2 billion privatization agreement that went into effect last year.