Producers fined in 'Lone Ranger' drowning death

Disney

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in "The Lone Ranger."

By Natalie Finn, E! Online

A death on the set of "The Lone Ranger"last year has led to a citation for workplace-safety violations for the Disney film's production company.

Silver Bullet Productions must pay $61,445 in fines after the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) determined that the company behind the Johnny Depp-starring film allowed for a hazardous situation that resulted in the Sept. 21 drowning death of a diver who was attempting to clean a large water tank being used by the production, according to legal documents obtained by E! News.

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Per Cal/OSHA's records, the 48-year-old diver was using scuba equipment to enhance water clarity for filming while cleaning the 100-foot-by-80-foot-by-25-foot tank -- located on a ranch in Acton, Calif. -- with a vacuum.

View the citation documents

The regulatory agency states that the diver's "dive buddy" was absent for 10 minutes and, when he returned, he noticed that no bubbles were coming to the surface of the water. OSHA determined the accident was primarily caused by the diver working alone and not being given a prior medical examination to determine his fitness to dive.

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For not having a designated "person in charge" at the dive location, failing to ensure that all divers were properly trained in CPR and other life-saving measures, not keeping up with the divers' required regular medical examinations and violating basic operational procedures--all deemed "serious" violations -- Silver Bullet was fined $45,000.

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The co! mpany was fined another $16,445 for six general violations: not providing documentation of safety and health training for all employees, not keeping records of each dive in the tank, not keeping proper records of all equipment maintenance, not maintaining a required Illness Prevention Program for hazard training, not developing a manual for diver safety and not properly maintaining the compressor for supplying air.

-- additional reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum

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