Firm Fined for Deaths of 2 Workers in Furnace

State regulators have fined a Tarzana firm $153,720 for an accident that killed two workers at its metallurgical plant May 17.

The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health said it cited Bodycote Thermal Processing for 16 violations, including a $70,000 fine for failing to protect employees from potential asphyxiation from gases.

“If the employer would have followed proper rules . . . the deaths of these employees could have been avoided,” agency spokesman Dean Fryer said.

Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank, died in a furnace.

Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome by gas as he replaced a valve in the 9-foot-deep furnace. Horan, who supervised Pesicka and was his best friend, went in after him, but also fell victim to the fumes.