Staffing firm Smarttalent LLC of Kirkland, Wash., was fined $120,400 and cited for 19 serious safety violations, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced last week.

Smarttalent LLC provides workers to Innovative Repairs LLC, of Fife, Wash., which services fuel tanks and containers for mining operations in Alaska. Innovative Repairs was fined $46,200 and also cited for 19 serious safety violations. The difference in the penalty amounts reflects the size of the employers, the number of workers exposed and the employer’s good faith efforts to comply, according to the Department of Labor and Industries.

An investigation found that temporary workers were entering fuel tanks with no controls in place to ensure their health and safety. The inspections began in October last year after the state’s Department of Ecology notified Labor and Industries that workers were entering the fuel tanks to clean and service them and that no safety procedures were being used.

Innovative Repairs has appealed the citation, and Smarttalent has 15 working days to appeal.