Lack Of Proper Equipment, Training Cited In Diver Deaths

A state investigation found four scuba divers who died in an irrigation canal in March did not have proper equipment or training, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported Thursday.

The probe by the state Department of Labor and Industries could lead to more than $33,000 in fines against the Roza Irrigation District, the newspaper reported.

The fines have not been levied, and the case remains open, the agency said.

But its tentative findings have been forwarded to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which posted them on its official Internet website.

Despite the posting, state officials refused Wednesday to confirm the findings. They hope to have the investigation completed by the end of the month.

“We can’t talk about it publicly until Roza has it in their hands,” said Roland Lund, spokesman for the Department of Labor and Industries.

Roza Irrigation District representatives also refused comment.

The investigation followed the March 15 deaths in a water-filled, underground portion of the Roza Canal near Zillah.

Killed were irrigation district divers John Eberle of Grandview and Marty Rhode of Zillah, and search-and-rescue divers Rusty Hauber of Yakima and Charlie “J.R.” Mestaz of Moxee.

The irrigation district hired Eberle and Rhode to dive into the 104-foot deep, half-mile-long siphon to retrieve abandoned and submerged cars.

When the two divers failed to surface, the two rescue divers were dispatched to the scene to retrieve them. They, too, failed to return to the surface before their oxygen supply was depleted.

Hauber was pronounced dead at the scene. Mestaz died several days later at a Yakima hospital without regaining consciousness.

Labor and Industries investigates most workplace accidents in this state under agreement with the federal government. The findings posted on the website include:

Divers should have been accompanied by a safety line; backup divers should have been stationed at point of entry; and the site should have included a hyperbaric chamber, which aids divers in the event they surface too quickly from extreme depths.

Failure to establish predive safety planning and safety procedures.

Failure to provide underwater communications gear, lights and other equipment.

Failure to provide adequate training.

Eight tentative violations list fines of $4,200 each. One shows a $100 penalty, for a preliminary total of $33,700.

Lund said penalties are levied without regard to the severity of injuries.

“This is not a value placed on human life,” said Lund. “This is occupational safety and health only.”