Insight Pipe Contracting, headquartered in Harmony, was sentenced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice to three years' probation and will pay a total of $200,000 for violating a workplace safety regulation that resulted in the death of an employee in 2018.

Before sentencing Insight Pipe, U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines said that the company had taken measures to improve its safety protocol following the accident.

According to information presented to the District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, an Insight Pipe work crew was installing pipe-liner at a job site in Johnstown on April 2, 2018.

A crew member had his hand on the side of a telehandler that was being used to transfer a roll of liner from a box truck to an open manhole. According to court documents, the telehandler's forks came into contact with an overhead powerline and, upon contact, the telehandler became energized and the worker was electrocuted to death.

Federal safety regulations state the telehandler had to be operated in a manner to maintain a clearance of 10 feet from the power line.

Under the term of its plea agreement, Insight Pipe agreed to be placed on probation for a period of three years, pay a criminal fine of $20,000, and settle an administrative case with Occupational Safety and Health Administration for $180,000 in civil penalties.

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