The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited an Illinois plumbing contractor after a worker died in a trench cave-in last December.
OSHA announced Thursday that it cited Burr Ridge-based Rooter Solutions Inc. for one willful violation and one serious violation in connection with the incident that occurred during work on a damaged residential water line. The agency fined the company $35,940.
The worker died when the walls of the seven-foot-deep trench collapsed on him. Another worker in the trench at the time escaped unharmed.
OSHA said the company failed to install cave-in protection and failed to ensure the use of required head protection.
The agency noted trench collapses are one of the construction industry’s most deadly workplace hazards and that trenching standards require the installation of protective systems for any trench deeper than five feet.
This article was first published in Business Insurance.
