Contractor Faces $160K Penalty Following Worksite Fatality

A Maine general contractor is facing more than $161,000 in penalties after an employee was killed when a wall collapsed on a worksite in June. 

According to OSHA investigators, two employees were installing storm drainage pipes in a trench while the owner of the company was excavating near the base of the retaining wall. 

Investigators said a 40-to-60-foot section of the wall tipped over as a result. One employee escaped. The other suffered fatal injuries. 

OSHA cited the company for five willful violations for not bracing the retaining wall, exposing employees to struck-by or caught between hazards, failing to remove employees from the trench after it was determined to be hazardous, and not training or instructing three employees in the hazards associated with trench activities.

The agency implemented a National Emphasis Program in Trenching and Excavation in 2018. 

The program has continued to increase enforcement and education related to trench and excavation safety.