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An Alabama contractor faces proposed penalties of $170,145 following a trench collapse in August.
The latest penalties bring the total proposed fines issued against U.S. contractors since December to nearly $2 million.
The proposed violations for CB&A Construction LLC based in Birmingham, Alabama, follow a trench collapse August 8 in Bessemer, according to OSHA. Workers were removing and installing drainpipes for Jefferson County.
OSHA says its investigator observed the following conditions:
- Inadequate cave-in protection.
- Workers under a suspended load.
- Workers not wearing hard hats.
- Workers at the edge of the unprotected trench.
No further details about the violations were provided. CB&A has 15 days to appeal.
Recent Trench Fines Total Over $1.8M
Contractors in Connecticut and Washington were also fined recently for trench violations, with proposed penalties totaling over $1.8 million:
- OSHA issued proposed fines totaling $1,224,798 against a Connecticut contractor after an inspection revealed repeat violations two years after one of its workers died in a trench collapse.
- The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued fines against two contractors for trench violations totaling $304,880. (Some states operate their own OSHAs independent of the federal agency.)
- OSHA issued proposed fines of $296,600 this month against another contractor in Connecticut after a worker died in a trench collapse in June.
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