A Washington contractor faces fines of $156,259 after a 16-year-old student worker had his legs amputated due to a trenching accident.
The boy, who was part of a work-based learning program, was operating a mini track loader with a trencher attachment in June for Rotschy LLC, a general contractor based in Vancouver, digging a channel for fenceposts. During the work in La Center, Washington, he was dragged underneath the blade. His injuries were so severe his legs had to be amputated, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
L&I cited Rotschy for allowing him to operate the trencher without supervision or adequate safety measures and has issued a fine of $156,259, which is the maximum amount allowed. The company is also being investigated by L&I’s Youth Employment Safety Unit, which could lead to further fines and punishment.
Rotschy, which was formed in 1988 as an excavation company, has appealed the fine. The company has more than 300 workers, according to its website.
The company released the following statement to the media after the violations were made public, noting that the teen continues to work for the company:
"We were deeply saddened by the incident involving one of our minor workers who suffered a tragic injury on our job site. As a family-owned company with a strong safety record, this has been a distressing moment for us. Safety has always been our top priority. We are committed to learning from this and strengthening our safety measures to ensure such incidents never happen again.
“The worker has returned to work for Rotschy in an office role using the skills obtained in the field to assist a project manager in project duties."
