For the fifth time in three years, a Schaumburg, Ill. employer reportedly put its workers in a trench without providing cave-in protection or a safe means of exit.
As a result, two workers risked being crushed beneath thousands of pounds of soil if trench walls collapsed. The workers were installing water service at a Mount Prospect single-family home in an unprotected trench more than 5 feet deep.
Following an inspection, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued VKR Enterprises, operating as Mr. Rooter of Cook County, one willful citation for lack of cave-in protection. The company also received two repeated OSHA safety citations for not providing safe egress from a trench and protective helmets for employees. Proposed penalties total $63,910.
“An unprotected trench can bury a worker in seconds and cause severe or fatal injuries,” said Angeline Loftus, OSHA’s area director at its Chicago North Office in Des Plaines. “Last year, a Mr. Rooter employee escaped serious injury in a trench collapse in Niles. It is inexcusable that this employer continues to expose workers to dangerous conditions. The company knows that every trench deeper than 5 feet must have cave-in protection.”
The company was given 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independentOccupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: [email protected].
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