February 19, 2026

Mobile Company Cited, Fined After 2 Sewer Gas Deaths

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

February 19, 2026

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. After the deaths of two subcontractors at a site in Mobile, several agencies including law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Labor conducted criminal and civil investigations.

The investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found numerous safety hazards at the site where the workers were working inside of a manhole and succumbed to deadly gases.

Investigators found that the employees of Construction Labor Services Inc. were not properly equipped or trained and that the workers were exposed to sewage gases, resulting in the two fatalities.

Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that on August 11, 2025, three Construction Labor Services workers were installing and repairing sewer lines inside of a manhole when they were overcome by sewer gas and became unresponsive.
One of the workers regained consciousness and managed to rescue himself, but the two other workers succumbed to their injuries.

Investigators found that Construction Labor Services Inc. failed to properly train their employees in a “confined space entry training program”, and that employees did not have the proper safety gear.

Federal safety investigators also determined the employer lacked confined space entry programs, procedures and emergency response plans, including plans to determine acceptable entry conditions for confined spaces.

OSHA cited Construction Labor Services Inc. with 16 serious violations and proposed penalties of $257,707.

Now the company has 15 business days to respond to the citations. The owners can pay the fines or request a conference with OSHA’s area director, or they can also contest the findings.