Man dies after shoveling sand; state may probe death

The death Saturday of a 20-year-old man during apprenticeship tryouts for Seattle Public Utilities could trigger an investigation by the state Department of Labor & Industries.

Jonathan Falo collapsed after shoveling sand during an exercise at the city's joint training facility near White Center, said Andy Ryan, spokesman for Seattle Public Utilities.

Firefighters who were at the facility teaching a course for department cadets tried to resuscitate Falo, but he couldn't be revived, said Helen Fitzpatrick, a Fire Department spokeswoman.

"He was unconscious when we were notified," Fitzpatrick said.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on Falo and is awaiting toxicology tests before declaring his cause and manner of death, an office investigator said Tuesday.

Xenefon Moniodis, a spokesman for Labor & Industries, said the department is aware of Falo's death but will not launch an investigation until the Medical Examiner's Office makes a ruling. He said L&I will not investigate if Falo died of natural causes.

Falo was among nearly 900 people who showed up for the two-day Seattle Public Utilities open house, Ryan said. The candidates were potential applicants for an apprenticeship program for city utility workers, Ryan said. All were required to fill out a form agreeing to the testing, which included math, reading comprehension and physical endurance.

The testing was to determine whether the applicants would be good candidates for the 28 apprenticeship openings in water-pipe and drainage jobs, Ryan said.

"This was a preview of what he [Falo] would have experienced if he was testing for the apprenticeship program," Ryan said.

Falo's death is the first since the utilities department started using physical tests for apprenticeship candidates 20 years ago, Ryan said.

The open house, which ran Friday and Saturday, was shut down after Falo collapsed, Ryan said. The event has not been rescheduled.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com