A 41-year-old man who died in a workplace incident at the HPOWER plant at Campbell Industrial Park has been identified as Gulston Spragling of Waianae.
Spragling died Thursday at the HPOWER (Honolulu Program of Waste Energy Recovery) plant at 91-174 Hanua St. after suffering injuries to his lower extremities. The incident occurred at the facility’s waste receiving and handling area. Emergency Medical Services personnel responded shortly before 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Police said paramedics were unable to resuscitate Spragling, and he died at the scene.
The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. There were no signs of foul play.
Spragling was an equipment operator at the plant, where he worked for 15 years. The facility is owned by the city and operated by Covanta, a New Jersey-based company.
“All of us at Covanta are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and co-worker,” the company said in an email statement. “Our deepest sympathies are with his family and friends at this most difficult time.”
“The investigation into the accident is ongoing and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as we work diligently to determine exactly what happened. At Covanta, the safety of our employees is our top priority. Tragedies like this remind us how precious life is,” the company said.
The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division has initiated an investigation. An inspector arrived at the work site Thursday afternoon after Covanta reported the incident, said Bill Kunstman, spokesman for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The inspector returned to the site Friday to continue the investigation.
Depending on the complexity of the case, the investigation could take about six months to complete.
Covanta spokesman James Regan declined to disclose details of the incident due to the ongoing investigation, and said it is also conducting an internal investigation.
“We’re reviewing everything right now,” Regan said during a phone interview
Friday morning from New Jersey.
The power plant processes about 2,000 tons of waste a day and produces up to 10 percent of Oahu’s electricity, according to the city and company websites.
