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OSHA Fines Excavating Company for Unsafe Working Conditions

December 21, 2012

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December 21, 2012 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced this past Wednesday it had levied fines against an Ohio-based excavating company, Bontrager Excavating Ltd., for failing to protect employees’ safety while digging trenches. According to a press release, the fines were issued at the conclusion of a June inspection that was conducted after OSHA received complaints of unsafe work conditions. The company has a history of workers suffering catastrophic injuries as a result of accidents that occur on jobsites. In December 2010 in Stark County, one worker was killed and another was injured when a trench collapsed. During the company’s seven inspections since 1992, it has been cited 17 times for trenching regulation violations. The most recent inspection found three violations that resulted in $115,500 in fines being issued. The violations included:
  • Failing to provide cave-in protection measures for workers in trenches
  • Failing to ensure piles of soil were at least two feet back from a trench’s edge
  • Failing to provide a safe means of exiting a trench for workers
The company now has 15 days to appeal or comply with the citations. The Ohio Personal Injury Lawyers with Nurenberg, Paris, Heller, & McCarthy know that employers have a responsibility to ensure employees have a safe and healthy environment in which to conduct their work. It’s important to discuss your legal options with an attorney if you have been hurt in a work-related accident that was not your fault.

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