Excavation company fined more than $150,000 after one worker is killed and another injured in trench cave-in

OSHA fined Bontrager Excavating LTD in Uniontown, Ohio, $157,710 and cited the company for two alleged willful, two serious and one repeat safety violation
for failing to protect workers from cave-ins during trenching operations. An inspection was initiated after one worker was killed and another injured in a trench collapse.

OSHA inspectors found that Bontrager showed plain indifference to worker safety and disregard for the law's requirements by willfully exposing its employees to trenching and excavation hazards in trenches that were not adequately protected to prevent cave-ins. During the installation of sewer lines in a residential neighborhood, a trench wall collapse resulted in the death of a foreman and injury to another worker. OSHA issued Bontrager a repeat violation for failing to provide a safe means of exit to employees working inside a trench. The company was cited for the same violation in 2007. In addition, inspectors found that the company had exposed workers to the risk of death or serious physical harm by failing to safely determine the location of underground utilities and to ensure a trench shield system was no more than 2 feet off the bottom of a trench floor.

Order Trenching and Excavations Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance