OSHA opened an investigation after receiving a complaint filed under Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act from a whistleblower, who alleged he was terminated for refusing to enter an unprotected trench. At the time of the incident, the whistleblower and other workers were performing foundation repair work at 1200 Shadow Ridge Drive in Huntsville, Ala. Proposed penalties total $122,400. In addition, this Section 11(c) whistleblower investigation has been referred to the department's Office of the Solicitor for potential litigation.
"This employer knowingly put workers at risk of serious injury or death by ordering them back to work in an unprotected trench after experiencing a cave-in," said Lisa Strunk, OSHA's acting area director in Birmingham. "Risking the safety of workers is not an acceptable business decision."
Two willful violations involve failing to provide a safe means of entrance and exit from an excavation and not providing cave-in protection for employees working in a trench that was 15 feet deep. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health. The citations carry $112,000 in penalties.
Two serious violations involve exposing employees to fall and crushing hazards by allowing them to stand in a backhoe bucket as a means to lower and raise them in the excavation, as well as exposing workers to "struck-by" hazards from loose soil, rocks and equipment by not having them wear head protection. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. The citations carry $10,400 in proposed penalties.
OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse. OSHA offers detailed information on trenching and excavation hazards.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Birmingham or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
The citations in this case can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/DKS_Structural_Services_316228519_0711_12.pdf.