OSHA Alleges Safety Violations at Proving Ground Super Pond

Federal regulators have notified Army officials of multiple serious alleged safety violations at the Aberdeen Proving Ground facility where three have died in the past year.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the notices for the Super Pond, U.S. Department of Labor officials announced Thursday. The investigation into the Super Pond began when a civilian contractor died there in January.

In February, two Navy divers were killed during an exercise. The divers' commanding officer was relieved of duty in May and two officers could face charges in those deaths.

“Tragedies such as this can be prevented by following OSHA’s commercial diving operations standards, which are in place to protect divers from risk of serious hazards, including drowning, hypothermia, circulatory and respiratory problems,” Michael Stracka, acting director of OSHA’s Baltimore/Washington area office, said in a release. “All employers, especially those engaged in high-hazard activities such as diving, must provide a safe working environment for their employees."

The more serious violations OSHA officials cite include improper diver training, the absence of a qualified manager on the surface, performing dives without a diver on standby the absence of constant visual contact with other divers, no reserve air supply and using breathing air to control buoyancy.

Less serious violations include the absence of a safe work practices manual, no maintenance of a depth profile and no dive-specific information for each diver.

The Super Pond is used to test boats, submarines and weaponry, as well as to practice Navy salvage missions.