An employer who reportedly let a pipelayer work in unsafe conditions in an unprotected construction site trench was cited for safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and may face more than $200,000 in fines.
An OSHA investigator saw the worker installing sewer pipes Nov. 19, 2021, in a 15-foot-deep trench in Batavia, Ohio, that lacked trench safety boxes and a safe way to exit the trench, the Department of Labor reported March 3. OSHA cited Lanigan Construction for two willful and four serious safety violations.
“The company owner and foreman were onsite and allowed the pipelayer to work in hazardous conditions knowingly,” said Ken Montgomery, Cincinnati area OSHA director.
Citations included failure to provide hard hats and other protective equipment and placing soil piles too close to the edge of the excavation, the department said. The agency proposed the Burlington, Ky., company pay $214,636 in penalties.
One of the most dangerous hazards to the construction industry is trench collapses, the department said. The industry recorded 203 fatal injuries from 2011 to 2018, which the department said were preventable if safety measures had been followed.
June will be Trench Safety Month this year, as designated by the National Utility Contractors Association. The association and OSHA will collaborate on Trench Safety Stand Down Week, planned for June 20-24.
