Missouri contractor fined $224k after trench collapse, employee injuries

A Missouri contractor has been cited by federal workplace safety officials for trenching and excavation violations after an employee suffered severe injuries when a 20-foot trench collapsed during excavation of Creve Coeur Sanitary Sewer Trunk in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

OSHA has cited Unnerstall Contracting Company LLC, based in Pacific, Missouri, for three willful and four serious violations. The company faces penalties of $224,459.

The agency has placed the company in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

OSHA cited the company for failing to utilize adequate trench protective systems, permitting employees to ride in the bucket of hydraulic excavators, and allowing water to accumulate in the floor of the trench. OSHA also cited the employer for failing to provide a safe means of egress from the trench, protect workers from struck-by hazards, and place excavated soil piles an adequate distance from trench edges.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Share on Socials!

Related Articles

Related Articles

You’re Invited: The EVolution of the Automotive Industry

November 14, 2023 - 1PM ET - 2PM ET Join Honeywell Personal Protective Equipment experts as they cover one of the decade’s most exciting, significant new ...
Read More

AIHA announces new guidance to protect first responders from dangerous health hazards

The nature of first responders’ uncontrolled work environments leads to unanticipated exposure to such dangerous chemicals as opioids, bodily fluids, fumes and hazardous building materials. Nearly ...
Read More

Investigation Into Fatal Gas Leak At Georgia Poultry Plant Could Take Years

A fatal nitrogen gas leak at a poultry processing plant in Georgia last week occurred as unplanned maintenance was being done on a recently installed processing ...
Read More