The North Carolina Department of Labor has fined Sherills Ford-Terrell Fire & Rescue in connection to the death of a rescue diver.
Newton firefighter, Bradley Long, died in early-June while searching for the body of a drowning victim in Lake Norman.
Long was working as part of the dive team at Lake Norman through Sherills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue to recover the body of Isaiah Cruz, who had drowned in the lake.
The Labor Department is taking action against Sherills Ford-Terrell & Fire "for two alleged serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina with a total penalty of $5,600," said the Department of Labor officials.
The citation states that the employer did not furnish employees with a place of employment, "free from recognized hazards that were causing or were likely to cause death or serious injury," and that employees were "exposed to a low and/or out-of-air emergency while performing dive operations."