Six months after the heat-related death of a Dallas postal worker, OSHA is proposing a more than $15,000 fine on the U.S. Postal Service. Eugene Gates collapsed while on his route during a sweltering day in North Texas. NBC 5’s Candace Sweat sat down with his widow and has a new reaction to the latest development.
OSHA proposed a $15,625 fine Wednesday on the U.S. Postal Service after the death of Dallas mail carrier Eugene Gates Jr., who collapsed in June on a day when the heat index reached 113 degrees.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation alleges the postal service failed to protect workers on June 20, the day Gates died, from “the recognized hazard of high outdoor heat including high temperature, high humidity and direct sun exposure.”
The heat index ranged from 96 to 113 degrees and the National Weather Service had issued an Excessive Heat Warning.
“Such exposures are likely to lead to the development of serious heat-related illnesses such as, but not limited to, heat cramps, heat stress, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and death,” according to the citation.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Gates’ widow, Carla Gates, told NBC 5 the holidays won’t be the same.
“It’s really hard knowing that my husband is not here,” she said.
Just hours before his death, Carla Gates said her husband sent a message warning her about the heat, telling her to use caution when outside. She said she's displeased with OSHA's proposal.
“That’s nothing. That’s a slap in the face to me and that’s injustice to my husband,” she said. “It made me sick. I was sad, I got mad and I’m not the type of person to get mad.”
Carla Gates said her mission is to keep fighting. She told NBC 5 she’s spoken to Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crocket. Just this week, Crocket and other Democrats on the House Oversight Committee called for a hearing on working conditions for US Postal Service employees.
Meanwhile, Gates said Christmas décor around the house is minimal this year, but her desire for change is stronger than ever.
“My husband loved his job. He put 100 percent into his job. And he died doing it, and he died doing it well,” Gates said.
An autopsy found that Gates, 66, died from the heat and heart disease.
Click here to read more on this report from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.
