Another Trenching Citation?

I don't get it. OSHA put Excavation & Trenching into a National Emphasis Program years ago but contractors don't seem to understand that they are serious about the hazards of working below grade. "It ain't rocket science" but it takes some thought.

OSHA reported again this week that a contractor (this one in Georgia) was cited for trenching violations to the tune of $124,250! According to OSHA, they are "citing McLendon Enterprises Inc. of Vidalia with six workplace safety violations and proposing $124,250 in penalties.

The citations come after an OSHA compliance officer observed company employees working in a trench without cave-in protection at a jobsite in Hinesville, Ga., last September.

OSHA is proposing three willful violations against the company, carrying proposed penalties of $38,500 each, for allowing workers inside an and 11-foot-deep trench without safe egresswithout cave-in protection. While in the trench, workers were exposed to being struck or engulfed by soil placed too close to the trench and by an excavator that was operating too close to the edge of the trench. The agency defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

Three serious safety violations with combined proposed fines of $8,750 are for the company's failure to train a non-English speaking employee in trenching hazards, allowing employees to work in a trench without head protection and allowing an employee to use a cutoff saw without wearing eye protection. A serious citation is issued when there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

"Excavation is recognized as one of the most hazardous construction operations," said John J. Deifer, OSHA's area director in Savannah, Ga. "The significant fines proposed here reflect the fact that this company knew the OSHA rules yet chose not to follow them. It is fortunate in this case that no one was injured."

And I'll bet that there was no "competent person" on site either! And let's not forget that we as employees have the right to refuse to put ourselves in harm's way. I know it's tough to put your job at risk by refusing to work in an unsafe trench. Even though it is your right by law to refuse, you think "I need this job." But, you need your life more!

Come on contractors, get with the program! There is no excuse for ignoring excavation/trenching safety. Train your workers - make sure you have a competent person and let that competent person do what's right!

Here's another one! In Niagara Falls, NY last week, "proposed $43,050 in fines against Custom Crews Inc., a Lockport, N.Y., contractor, for allegedly failing to provide cave-in protection for employees working in an unprotected 5 foot, 8-inch-deep trench located at 1925 Main St. in Niagara Falls, N.Y."

"OSHA issued the company one willful citation with a $42,000 fine for not guarding the trench against a possible collapse of its sidewalls and one serious citation with a $1,050 fine for not having a ladder or other safe means for workers to exit the trench. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health, while a serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.

"Warmer weather and the thawing of the soil means an increase in excavation work," said Dube. "Before that happens, I'm calling upon the region's employers to review their excavation safety procedures to ensure that no employee enters an excavation unless and until it is properly guarded against collapse."

That's good advice! Review your excavation / trenching safety procedures or get one if you don't have one! Make sure you train a competent person and that he/she trains you workers in hazard recognition and make sure that you tell them that it's okay to report hazards!

Want to know more about construction excavation and trenching? Need a good handout for your training program?

This booklet is designed as a desk reference for safety professionals and jobsite superintendents/foremen when dealing with Trenching & Excavation issues on their jobsites. It also serves well as a hand-out companion for trenching and excavation training sessions or for the trenching and excavation portion of an OSHA 10 or 30 hour course. Click Here for details.

Crane Collapse In Texas

At about 11:30 am EDT, this morning, a crane collapsed in Cleburne, Texas. Cleburne is about 50 miles southwest of Dallas. According to several news media, one man was injured and airlifted to a Fort Worth hospital. There is no word yet on the cause of the accident. The local NBC news channel posted the following photo:

Inspiratonal Message

As a safety professional, I am often in the position to tell people things that they don't want to hear. I try to avoid being the "safety cop" on a project site, but sometimes I don't get the cooperation that I need. Anyway, this picture shows the results when a construction safety guy "pissed off" a guy with a backhoe.



















The moral of the story is: "Never Piss Off a Guy Who Owns a Backhoe!"

Fatal Fall in New York City

The New York Times reported that "A construction worker was killed on Wednesday when he fell from the 10th floor of a hotel under construction on Park Avenue South." According to the Times, "He fell from a plywood mold used for poured concrete columns and landed atop the sidewalk shed of an adjacent building."

There seems to be some confusion about the required fall protection, according to the article. The NYC Building Dept reported that the worker was not wearing "required" PFAS. But, the contractor indicated that he should have been working behind a guardrail system. Either way, the construction worker died as a result of a fall that could have been prevented. And either way, it may have been the result of the worker's own misconduct - I'm sure that the OSHA investigation will sort it out.

But worker misconduct is often a problem. Every day I see guardrails removed, workers refusing to wear PPE, or simply taking unnecessary chances. Often, contractors are not to blame. If you would like to read the whole story in the Times, click here.

Here's a Great Sign!

I came across this great sign and thought I'd share. Maybe we can come up with similar signs for our jobsites too.

I'm Back

Okay, Okay - so I took a couple of days off. I went back to Florida for a few days to spend some quality time with my beloved wife! It was great, but now I'm back to work.

Oh, and since yesterday was St. Patrick's day, I enjoyed a Guinness too!

So, what's been happening since I've been away? Well, according to the Niagara Gazette, another contractor has been fined by OSHA for violating the Excavation & Trenching rules. According to the Gazette, "A Lockport contractor doing work involving the new Niagara Falls public safety building has been cited and fined for providing unsafe working conditions.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $43,050 in fines against Custom Crews Inc. for allegedly failing to provide cave-in protection for employees working in an unprotected 5-foot, 8-inch-deep trench located near the courthouse in the 1900 block of Main Street."

And guess what? $42k of that was because it was a willful violation! Yep, another contractor ignored the safety of the workers on his job. Since it was "willful," they must have been cited for this one before. Why don't we learn? Anyway, if you want to read the whole article, click here.

OSHA Cites Florida Contractor for Trenching Violation

Although Florida trenches aren't usually very deep, trenching is still very hazardous. And since Florida "soil" is not usually very cohesive, the hazards are even more severe. Construction workers often believe that they are safe because they are only 5 or 6 feet below the surface - how wrong they are. Why do they believe it? Well, it's because they are often untrained! They don't know the hazard!

I have regularly warned workers to slope, use a trench box, get a ladder, get the spoil back from the edge, barricade, etc. Normally, they don't have a problem complying, they just didn't know. Shame on their employers for not taking the time to educate them.

One Florida contractor learned a hard lesson recently when an 8' trench collapsed killing one of his employees. OSHA investigated and added to his problems by citing him for a willful violation of the excavation and trenching standard. I say "shame on the contractor" because another serious citation was for "failing to adequately train... ."

According to OSHA, "the Havana, Fla., company is being cited for one willful violation with a proposed penalty of $49,000 for allowing two employees to continue working in an 8-foot-deep trench after removing a protective trench box. After the box was removed, one worker was crushed when a sidewall of the trench collapsed."

Want to know more about construction excavation and trenching? Need a good handout for your training program?

This booklet is designed as a desk reference for safety professionals and jobsite superintendents/foremen when dealing with Trenching & Excavation issues on their jobsites. It also serves well as a hand-out companion for trenching and excavation training sessions or for the trenching and excavation portion of an OSHA 10 or 30 hour course. Click Here for details.