A Seattle, Washington, construction company owner is facing jail time in a case that’s holding an employer criminally responsible for a preventable worker death.
Alki Construction owner Phillip Numrich was sentenced today to 45 days in jail for his role in the 2016 trench collapse death of 36-year-old Harold Felton.
The criminal case followed a Washington Department of Labor & Industries investigation that reportedly found Alki Construction knowingly ignored basic safety rules that have been in place since the 1970s. If followed, those practices could have prevented Felton’s tragic death, according to L&I, which cited and fined the company for multiple workplace safety violations.
After a state Supreme Court decision cleared the way for prosecution, the King County Prosecutor moved forward with a felony charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Numrich agreed to plead guilty to attempted reckless endangerment and was sentenced this week.
Numrich will also serve an 18-month probation that limits his contact with the Felton family and the type of work his company can perform.
Alki Construction also pleaded guilty to violations of the Washington Industrial Safety & Health Act and will pay a $25,000 fine. This is in addition to a fine issued by L&I in 2016 in connection with this investigation.
After several days of heavy rainfall, Numrich reportedly allowed work to go on in an 8- to 10-foot trench, even though he had only brought enough shoring to protect two of the four sides of the trench from a cave-in.
When the sides collapsed, Felton was buried under more than 6,000 pounds of dirt.
Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Washington Contractors
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