OSHA cites Bloomer, Wis., excavator after inspector witnesses dangerous safety violations during trenching job
OSHA has cited A-1 Excavating Inc., Bloomer, Wis., for alleged willful violations of safety standards, proposing nearly $700,000 in penalties for numerous life-threatening violations at a trenching operation in Weston, Wis.In September 2008, OSHA opened an inspection at the excavation jobsite in Weston after an agency inspector observed employees exposed to cave-in hazards while working in an 8-foot-deep, unprotected trench. As a result of the inspection, OSHA issued six instance-by-instance willful citations to the company for failing to protect employees from cave-in hazards, and five instance-by-instance willful citations for failing to set the spoil pile material excavated from the trench two feet or more from the edge of the excavation.
“It has long been known that cave-in fatalities are entirely preventable,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Donald Shalhoub. “Any employer who is involved in trenching and excavation can avoid such terrible tragedies by following OSHA’s clear regulations. Those who ignore safe practices and OSHA regulations are inviting tragedy into the lives of their employees and their families.”
A-1 Excavating Inc. has received 38 OSHA citations since 1982, including at least eight citations for hazards associated with potential cave-ins, and seven citations for having the spoil pile too close to the trench edge.
