In response to the October 21 water main break and ensuing flood on Dartmouth Street that claimed the lives of two Atlantic Drain Services workers, Mayor Walsh filed a new city ordinance with the City Council on Monday, November 14 that would give permitting authorities such as the Department of Public Works and the Inspectional Services Department the right to deny, revoke or suspend a work permit based on an applicant's work safety history.

Under current law, the city is not notified of either pending or unresolved Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations, but if the Mayor's ordinance is passed by the city council and becomes law, the city will be able to require individuals, companies and other entities applying for work permits to provide proof of their worker safety history and take them under consideration in the permitting process. In a statement announcing the ordinance, Mayor Walsh said, "We know how dangerous work sites can be, and in Boston we are committed to doing all we can to protect those working in our city. I urge the City Council to move quickly on this proposal so Boston can put these changes into effect immediately."

Roslindale-based Atlantic Drain Services, which provides services for residential customers as well as hotels and other businesses, has been fined for OSHA violations several times in the past decade, including eight citations from March of this year, but did not have to disclose those incidents in applying for the permits needed for the work that resulted in the October 21 tragedy. According to an October 22, 2016 Boston Globe report, Atlantic Drain Services was cited for a number of infractions, some deemed "repeat" and some "willful" in the case of a work site on Harrison Avenue in the South End where workers were toiling in a trench with inadequate cave-in protection. Other violations have involved hazards such as lack of oxygen in a tunnel as well as failure to provide workers with adequate safety training.