PITTSBURGH - A resident in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of Willful Violation of an OSHA Regulation Causing the Death of an Employee, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
Wayne A. George, d/b/a A Rooter Man of Pittsburgh, LLC, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count before United States Magistrate Judge Cynthia R. Eddy.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was told that Wayne A. George, d/b/a A Rooter Man of Pittsburgh, LLC, employed an individual who died as a result of willful violation of standards promulgated which requires employers to take protective measures against cave-ins before permitting their employees to work in trenches.
On Sept. 28, 2015, a 21-year-old Rooter Man employee, Jacob Casher, was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed at a worksite in Penn Township, Butler County. Mr. Casher was helping to replace a sewer line 11 feet below the surface in unstable soil with no cave-in protection, at the direction of his supervisor, Wayne George.
Judge Eddy scheduled sentencing for Feb. 21, 2018. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of six months in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Nelson P. Cohen is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Regional Solicitor, conducted the investigation leading to the information in this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
