Manslaughter Charges Filed After Deadly Trench Collapse

04.13.2023
HR & Safety

A Connecticut business owner and equipment operator are facing criminal charges after a worker was killed in a trench collapse. 

The incident happened July 22, 2022 in Vernon. 

OSHA inspectors, special agents from the Office of the Inspector General, and New Vernon police detectives investigated the collapse. 

Officials said a 56-year-old Botticello employee was killed when an eight-foot-deep trench collapsed.

Charges

OSHA determined that Botticello failed to provide the legally required collapse safety devices.

Agency officials also said the company failed to follow regulations requiring a ladder leading out of the trench be within 25 feet of workers.

Police charged the owner of the firm and one of its equipment operators with first-degree manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges. 

Police charged the owner of the firm and one of its equipment operators with first-degree manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges. 

OSHA cited the company for willful violations. Proposed penalties totaled more than $375,000.

The company has contested OSHA’s findings with the independent OSH Review Commission.

“These arrests are the result of collaborative investigations by local and federal law enforcement groups that show OSHA will use all available enforcement tools at its disposal to ensure workers are afforded the protections provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Act,” said OSHA region one administrator Galen Blanton.

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