A Georgia plumbing contractor faces proposed penalties totaling $308,000 after a worker died in a trench collapse and another employee was injured, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
At 10:45 a.m. August 10, two employees of Pyles Plumbing and Utility Contractors Inc. of Macon were installing a sewer line in Perry in a 21-foot-deep excavation. According to OSHA’s investigative report, the workers were inside a trench box and arranging the workspace to begin work when the trench collapsed on them, and they were buried in dirt.
Caleb Smith, 20, of Crawford County was found submerged face down in water and his back was covered by dirt. The other worker managed to avoid complete submersion in the water but suffered fractures to his shoulder, pelvis and leg and was hospitalized.
OSHA cited Pyles with the following violations:
- Deviating from the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations for using the trench box. Willful-serious violation, $161,323
- No safe way to exit the trench box. Willful-serious, $112,926
- Damaged, defective trench box. Serious, $11,292
- Workers had no head protection. Serious, $11,292
- Workers were not trained to recognize trench hazards. Serious, $11,292
A willful violation is one in which the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. A serious violation is one in which the workplace hazard could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation.
“This employer has over 20 years of experience in excavation, so they are well aware that the work they do can be dangerous if safety protocols are disregarded,” said OSHA Atlanta-East Area Office Director Joshua Turner. “A trench shield’s tabulated data includes specifications that dictate whether the protective system can be used at certain depths and under specific conditions. This and other safety information is widely available to employers. When they choose to ignore these simple methods, a worker’s death can be the tragic result.”
OSHA
