Co. Owner to do Jail Time After Trench Death

Bryan Johnson, owner of Colorado-based construction company ContractOne, was sentenced to 10 months in jail on Wednesday. According to CBS Denver, Johnson faced felony manslaughter and negligent homicide charges following a trench collapse at his company’s worksite. 

According to the report, the collapse fatally injured Rosario Martinez, a 50-year-old worker installing a water service line at a residential construction site. According to the OSHA investigation, Martinez was hired to do drywall and carpentry work by Johnson’s company, ContractOne Inc., and was not trained for trenching or excavation work. Employees who witnessed the accident were not trained in those areas either. 

According to the report, the same trench also collapsed the day before, according to investigators. In a press release, OSHA said its investigators found ContractOne Inc. failed to use a trench protective system, did not place excavated soil piles in a safe distance from trench edges, didn’t provide ladders, or conduct site inspections.