US Regulators Impose Fines Over Fatal Gas Incident at Colorado Dairy Farm
Federal workplace safety regulators have levied significant fines against three businesses following a tragic incident at a Colorado dairy farm that resulted in the deaths of six workers. The fatalities occurred due to exposure to highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas after a manure pipe became disconnected within an enclosed space.
Substantial Penalties Announced for Safety Failures
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced proposed fines totalling $246,609 against the dairy owner and two contractors working on a manure management system. The devastating incident, which claimed the lives of five men and a teenager on August 20, 2025, sent shockwaves through rural communities in and around Keenesburg, located approximately 35 miles northeast of Denver.
Dairy owner Prospect Ranch LLC faces the largest individual fine of $132,406 for serious violations that included failures in worker training, safety planning, and protecting employees from what regulators termed "atmospheric hazards." The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the proposed penalties.
Contractors Also Cited for Safety Deficiencies
Colorado-based Fiske Inc., whose subsidiary High Plains Robotics services dairy equipment and employed some of the deceased workers, faces $99,306 in penalties. Regulators cited the company for failing to protect employees and provide adequate hydrogen sulfide detection training. According to OSHA statements, "A Fiske employee and a Prospect Ranch employee attempted to stop the flow but were overcome by the gas. Subsequently, three more Fiske employees and one Prospect Ranch employee entered the pump room, which led to the loss of a total of six workers."
A third contractor, HD Builders, was cited for failing to implement a written hazard communication program and provide proper hydrogen sulfide detection training, receiving a proposed penalty of $14,897. Company employees were present during the incident but emerged unharmed following the pipe disconnection.
Well-Known Agricultural Hazards
The dangers associated with confined spaces on farms and dairy operations represent a persistent and well-documented cause of fatalities across American agriculture. These tragedies frequently result from exposure to odorless, colorless toxic gases or asphyxiation in enclosed areas where oxygen levels become dangerously depleted.
First responders from a rural fire district in Weld County were dispatched to Prospect Ranch around 6 p.m. on August 20 and implemented their own safety protocols before entering the confined space where the incident occurred.
Victims Identified as Latino Community Members
All six individuals who perished in the Colorado incident were identified as Latino, with ages ranging from 17 to 50 years old. Remarkably, four victims, including a teenage high school student, belonged to the same extended family network.
The Weld County coroner's office confirmed through autopsies and toxicology testing that hydrogen sulfide gas exposure caused the deaths, though the official report provided minimal details about the circumstances, describing only an industrial accident within a confined space at a dairy farm.
Alejandro Espinoza Cruz of Nunn was found deceased alongside his 17-year-old son Oscar Espinoza Leos and another son, 29-year-old Carlos Espinoza Prado. The Espinoza family was related by marriage to 36-year-old Jorge Sanchez Pena from Greeley, who also died in the incident.
The remaining victims were identified as 40-year-old Ricardo Gomez Galvan and 32-year-old Noe Montañez Casañas, both residents of Keenesburg. Montañez Casañas, a veterinarian working under a United States visa, had his remains repatriated to the central Mexican state of Hidalgo, according to consular officials in Denver.
The affected companies now have fifteen business days to comply with the proposed penalties, request an informal conference with safety regulators, or formally challenge the findings before an occupational safety review commission.
