The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
cited Northern Excavating Co. for three safety and health violations, comprised of two willful
and one serious violation. They come in response to an inspection of a worksite in Ross, N.D. in
July of 2014. This was the eighth time Northern Excavating Co. was found to have safety and
health violations on a worksite. These violations are for exposing employees to cave-in hazards
within a trench. These violations carry proposed penalties of $147,000.
“When it comes to worker safety, apathy can be fatal. A trench collapse can suffocate or crush a
worker in seconds, a fact that Northern Excavating seems willing to repeatedly ignore and that
must stop,” said Eric Brooks, OSHA’s area director in Bismarck. “The company knows about
trench safety and must provide a safe workplace for its employees.”
The company was cited for not providing a protective system for the trench and failing to have a
designed, competent person available to remove an employee from the hazardous trench, if
necessary. It also failed to provide workers a safe means of exit from the trench.
Additional safety procedures need to be established for any trench deeper than 5 feet to protect
against collapse. So if you are in the construction industry and work with trenches deeper than 5
feet, it is imperative that you properly establish procedures to protect your employees. Not only
could it cost you dearly in fines, it could also put employees in at risk.
If you have any questions about trench safety or any other type of occupational safety, please
contact us. If you have anything to add about the inspection or about the importance of trench
safety, please leave a comment.
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