Three Jacksonville contractors have been cited for a total of $131,000 by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration for trench safety violations.
Workers from Aquino Construction were in an 8-foot-deep, 9-foot-wide, and 55-foot-long unprotected trench to install casing around an existing sewer line, according to OSHA.
Trenching standards require protective systems on trenches deeper than 5 feet, and soil and other materials kept at least 2 feet from the edge of a trench. Additionally, trenches must be inspected by a knowledgeable person, be free of standing water and atmospheric hazards, and have a safe means of entering and exiting before allowing a worker to enter.
"Trenching hazards are well known throughout the construction industry and fatal accidents can occur in the blink of an eye,” said Scott Tisdale OSHA area office director in Jacksonville, Florida.
Trenches are among the industry's most lethal hazards. Unsafe trenching led to 39 construction workers suffering fatal injuries in 2022.
“Supervisors and owners of companies that send workers into trenches while bypassing live-saving precautions show a willful indifference to placing their employees in life-threatening situations,” Tisdale said, noting that fortunately, the hazards at this jobsite were corrected before a cave-in occurred.
According to OSHA records, the trench at the jobsite lacked any shoring or a trench box to prevent any cave-ins.
