Ohio company, managers charged in worker death

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a southwest Ohio company and three officials in the 2008 death of a treatment plant worker who authorities say was overcome by toxic gas when a chemical was improperly added to wastewater.

The Wednesday indictments in Butler County charge United Oil Recovery Services Inc. and its environmental health and safety manager with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, criminal endangering and environmental violations. The company president and plant manager are charged with criminal endangering.

The Ohio Attorney General’s office says sodium hydrosulfide used to speed up a wastewater treatment process at the company’s Middletown plant caused a chemical reaction, killing 45-year-old Thomas Rogers.

Atty. Martin Pinales said today the defendants are innocent.