Arrow Plumbing LLC has admitted to willfully violating federal safety standards by failing to require and enforce the use of trench boxes or other trench protection techniques at a home construction site in Belton, Missouri, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced.
As a result of those failures, an employee suffered fatal injuries when an unprotected trench collapsed on him as he worked, OSHA said.
Under terms of a stipulation and settlement agreement entered before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Blue Springs, Missouri, company – and its successor company R2 Plumbing LLC – will pay a civil monetary penalty of $225,000.
The company also agreed to implement several safety enhancements. These include hiring a safety consultant to design and implement a trench safety program and conduct safety and health audits; providing extensive training for employees; reporting trenching-related incidents and near misses to OSHA; conducting meetings at new worksites to address hazards; and completing OSHA construction, and trenching and excavation training courses.
The agreement resolves similar violations cited following a December 2016 trench fatality and a January 2017 inspection where OSHA observed company employees working in an unprotected trench.
Source: OSHA
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Florida Citizens Board Votes to Raise Rates 14% But Litigation Costs Dropping 
Farmers Adjusters Cry Foul Over Workloads, Claims Handling in Letter to Regulators 
Insured Losses from Recent South Florida Floods Reaching into the Millions 
New Drivers and Electric-Vehicle Tech Bring New Risks to Auto Insurance Market 
