Beats this one.
Region 1 News Release: 09-1131-BOS/BOS 2009-305
Wed., Sept.23, 2009
Contact: Ted Fitzgerald
Phone: 617-565-2074
Falmouth, Mass., contractor faces more than $69,000 in fines from U.S. Labor Department's OSHA following cave-in at Kingston, Mass., jobsite
BRAINTREE, Mass. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Lawrence-Lynch Corp. of Falmouth, Mass., for alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards following an excavation collapse at a worksite at 396 Gifford St. in Kingston, Mass. The construction contractor faces a total of $69,300 in proposed fines.
Lawrence-Lynch Corp. employees were working in a 5.5-feet-deep excavation, connecting a water line to a fire hydrant, when one of the excavation's sidewalls collapsed. One employee was struck by large pieces of unsupported asphalt from atop the sidewall and partially buried. OSHA's inspection found that the excavation lacked any sort of protection to prevent a collapse and that the asphalt had not been removed or supported to prevent it from falling on workers in the excavation.
"This case clearly shows that an unprotected excavation can turn deadly in seconds, trapping and burying workers before they can react or escape," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. "While it is fortunate that no deaths occurred this time, worker safety cannot and must never be a matter of chance. Never place an employee in an excavation without collapse protection."
As a result of its inspection, OSHA issued Lawrence-Lynch Corp. one willful citation, with a $63,000 proposed fine, for the unprotected excavation and one serious citation, with a $6,300 fine, for not supporting or removing the asphalt atop the excavation.
OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health. Serious citations are issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
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