2 teenage girls died and 8 injured in a detasseling incident in whiteside county illinois

Jeffrey Ritzert wrote on July 25, 2011 5:14 p.m.

"This accident is a horrific tragedy that I personally believe could have easily been avoided. As parents of two detasselers we are aware that there are hazards in the field. Exposure to heat, pesticides, insects, etc. We do our best to insure they are prepared for what they may encounter. NEVER did I have reason to believe that such a horrendous thing could happen to our children or anyone else's. Having been the "competent person" on numerous industrial and commercial jobsites, worker safety has been priority one. When young children are present, equipment should be de-energized, also known as "lock out-tag-out" to prevent the posibility of "accidents". I would have to call this preventable had personal safety of workers truly been a concern. We can only hope that the corporations responsible are genuinely held accountable for this needless loss of life due to reckless misconduct. There needs to be an in-depth investigation performed by OSHA to hold all parties responsible.