Nevada officials reject political interference claims in withdrawn citation against Boring Company

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — State officials responded Wednesday to what they called “false allegations of political influence” in a recent online report by Fortune.

According to the release from the Nevada Department of Business and Industry (B&I), a call to the department from the office of Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo was received on May 28. The release notes that the process is a standard practice in resolving constituent complaints or inquiries.

An internal meeting was held with officials from B&I, the Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) and Nevada OSHA administrators, the release stated. During that meeting, it was determined that the citations failed to meet three of four legal requirements and were deemed “legally insufficient.” As a result, Nevada OSHA withdrew the citations before a scheduled meeting with The Boring Company.

During that scheduled meeting, although the citations had been withdrawn, The Boring Company presented information arguing that the citations were unwarranted.

On Nov. 12, Fortune.com released a report titled, “Two firefighters suffered chemical burns in a Boring Co. tunnel. Then the Nevada Governor’s office got involved, and the penalties disappeared.”

The release refuted claims of political interference, calling the reaction a “growing and misguided attempt” to frame the actions as such. Instead, the release states, the incident was a “failure of process that DIR leadership took immediate actions to address.”

The violation worksheet documents included in the release centered around a grout accelerant called MasterRoc AGA 41S. According to the document, a “slurry” containing the accelerant caused chemical burns to Clark County Fire Department officials who entered a Boring Company tunnel in Dec. 2024 for a drill, which resulted in permanent scarring. The violations listed on the documents included failures to provide personal protective equipment, instruct hazard avoidance and to provide and provide effective hazardous chemical information and training.

“While publicly acknowledging these mistakes is uncomfortable, it’s important for both employers and employees to know that this agency is committed to doing its job in a way that ensures Nevada’s employees have access to a safe, healthy workplace, and businesses have confidence that the agency will regulate them in a fair and impartial manner,” said Dr. Kristopher Sanchez, director of the Department of Business and Industry.

The release from B&I included nearly 100 documents and images related to the investigation.