A Brighton-based contractor has been cited by OSHA for alleged excavation hazards. A combination of willful, serious, and other-than-serious violations of safety standards led to a total of $S61,650 in proposed fines.
During an inspection conducted by OSHA’s area office in Braintree, Massachusetts, investigators found employees working in a trench more than eight feet deep without cave-in protection and a safe means of exit. The company had also piled excavated spoils at the edge of the edge, exposing workers to potential crushing or struck-by hazards.
The inspection resulted in one willful citation with a proposed fine of $49,500 for storing materials of the edge of the trench. In addition, the company received two serious citations for failing to provide collapse protection and an exit ladder. Those citations carry $8,500 in fines. Lastly, OSHA gave the company four other-than-serious citations for incomplete injury and illness records, a violation which adds $3,600 in fines.
Source: Contractor Cited for Cave-in Hazards, Other Trenching Violations, OHSonline.com, May 12, 2010
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