Government fines businesses over 6 deaths at Colorado dairy

Federal workplace safety regulators fined three businesses Tuesday over their failure to protect six Colorado dairy workers who were killed by exposure to highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas after a manure pipe disconnected in an enclosed space. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced proposed penalties totaling $246,609 against the dairy owner Prospect Ranch LLC and two contractors, Fiske Inc. and HD Builders, who were working on a manure management system at the facility in Keenesburg, Colorado. The deaths occurred on August 20, 2025, when workers entered a confined space where a manure pipe had disconnected, releasing hydrogen sulfide gas—a highly toxic, colorless, and flammable gas that can be fatal even at low concentrations. Prospect Ranch LLC faces the largest fine at $132,406 for serious violations including failures in training, planning, and protecting workers from atmospheric hazards. Fiske Inc., which employed some of the victims, faces $99,306 in penalties for failing to protect employees and provide proper hydrogen sulfide detection training. The sequence of events began when a Fiske employee and a Prospect Ranch employee attempted to stop the flow of manure water but were overcome by the gas. Subsequently, three more Fiske employees and one Prospect Ranch employee entered the pump room, resulting in the loss of all six workers. HD Builders was fined $14,897 for failing to have a written hazard communication program and provide proper training on detecting hydrogen sulfide. All six victims were Latino men ranging in age from 17 to 50, including four members of the same extended family. The teenager was a high school student, while one victim was a veterinarian working under a U.S. visa whose remains were repatriated to Mexico. The tragedy highlights the persistent dangers of confined spaces in agricultural settings, where workers can be exposed to odorless and colorless toxic gases or face asphyxiation in oxygen-depleted environments. Federal regulators emphasized that such hazards are well-known and preventable with proper safety protocols, training, and equipment.