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Feds Find Numerous Violations At Army Facility Where Three Died

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Federal officials say nearly a dozen safety standards were violated at an Army weapons-testing pond near Baltimore where a Navy diver from Caldwell and two others have died this year.

The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday that it found seven serious violations at the facility in Aberdeen known as the "super pond." OSHA began its investigation after a civilian technician died while performing routine maintenance in the pond on Jan. 30. Four weeks later, 28-year-old Navy Diver 1st Class James Reyer and a fellow diver drowned during a routine dive at the facility.

Among the serious violations were improper training for divers; allowing dives to be performed without a standby diver; and using breathing air for purposes other than breathing. OSHA also found four less serious violations.

Two sailors could face criminal charges in the deaths of the Navy divers.