U.S. Department of Labor issued the following announcement on Jan. 27.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Metarko Excavating LLC for exposing employees to trenching hazards at a Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, worksite. The company faces $59,311 in penalties.
OSHA initiated an inspection on December 13, 2019, after being notified of an employee working in an excavation up to 12 feet deep without proper protection. An inspector found the worker extending an existing sewage line in an improperly protected trench. OSHA cited the company with one willful violation for the trenching hazard, and serious citations for lack of safe entry or exit out of the excavation and failure to train employees on ladder safety.
“Working in trenches without all necessary safeguards can result in serious or fatal injuries. Employers must protect workers involved in dangerous excavation work, and train their workers properly to recognize and address hazards before entering a trench,” said OSHA Pittsburgh Area Director Christopher Robinson.
Original source can be found here.