Another Contractor Hit With A Willful After Fatality From Trench Collapse
OSHA has cited Phillips Construction in Hernando, Miss., with nine safety violations following an October 2008 trench collapse in Horn Lake, Miss., that resulted in yet another needless death of one worker and injury to another.OSHA has cited the company with one willful safety violation carrying a proposed penalty of $49,000 for failing to provide cave-in protection, such as shoring, sloping or a trench box, for its employees. The agency defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.Six serious safety violations with $21,000 in proposed penalties have been proposed for failing to develop and maintain safety and health programs, provide training on trenching hazards, provide personal protective equipment, provide a means of egress from the trench, keep excavated soil at least 2 feet away from the trench edge and remove surface encumbrances from the trench side. A serious violation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
Additionally, the company has been cited with two other-than-serious violations with $3,500 in proposed penalties for failing to notify OSHA of a fatality within eight hours of the incident.
