Missouri Contractor Faces $212K in Penalties Over Trench Hazards

Federal workplace safety officials have cited a Missouri contractor for exposing employees to trench engulfment hazards and imposed more than $212,000 in penalties.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited R.V. Wagner Inc. – based in Affton, Missouri – for endangering employees as they installed concrete storm water pipes on Stable Road in St. Louis, Missouri.

OSHA proposed penalties of $212,158 for violations of its trench safety standards.

OSHA cited two willful violations for failing to use a trench box or other trench protection techniques in an excavation greater than five feet in depth and to provide a safe means to exit the excavation.

OSHA also cited R.V. Wagner for three serious violations for allowing soil and other excavated material within two feet of an open trench, failing to ensure daily inspections of worksites by a competent person, and exposing employees to struck-by hazards by allowing employees to work near and under lifted loads without hard hats.

OSHA recently updated the National Emphasis Program on preventing trenching and excavation collapses, and developed a series of compliance assistance resources to help keep workers safe from these hazards. The agency’s trenching and excavation webpage provides information on trenching hazards and solutions. Additional information is available in OSHA’s construction hazards prevention videos on trenching and soil classification.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source: OSHA

Topics Workers' Compensation Contractors Missouri