A. Lamp Concrete Contractors has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for allowing two employees in a 7-foot-deep trench in Broadview, Illinois, without adequate cave-in protection or safe ways to enter or exit the trench.
The two were working on municipal sewer and water lines, according to OSHA, when federal safety investigators determined that the Schaumburg excavating contractor had “again failed” to follow federally mandated safety measures to protect workers from potentially deadly trenches cave-ins.
According to OSHA, trench collapses are among the construction industry’s most lethal hazards, with 22 worker deaths in the first six months of 2022 attributed to trenching and excavation work.
“In mere seconds, thousands of pounds of soil can trap a worker in a trench collapse and lead to serious and often fatal injuries,” said Angeline Loftus, Chicago North Area Director, in a statement. “Our inspector found that a company foreman was supervising the work of two employees in the unprotected trench, which demonstrates the company’s lack of concern for federal regulations, industry-recognized best practices, and its legal responsibility to protect workers on the job.”
Following its investigation of the June 30, 2022, incident, OSHA cited A. Lamp Concrete Contractors for three repeat, one serious, and one other-than-serious violations of federal trenching and excavation standards, and proposed penalties of $118,962. The agency has also cited A. Lamp Concrete in 2018 and 2021 for exposing workers to cave-in hazards.
Source: OSHA
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Rod Sutton
Sutton has served as the editorial lead of Construction Equipment magazine and ConstructionEquipment.com since 2001.
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