Construction, Enforcement and Inspection

Excavation Hazards at School Site Lead to Citation

Acting on a complaint in June 2016, the OSHA found employees of one of the area’s largest general contractors working in an unprotected 10-foot deep excavation at a suburban New Jersey high school, in violation of federal safety and health laws. As a result, OSHA issued citations for nine violations—one willful and eight serious—to the New York-based general contractor, which specializes in sports facility design and construction. The company faces $197,752 in fines as a result.

The citations, issued on December 20, 2016, follow an OSHA inspection at a high school on June 22, 2016, where the agency found that the contractor allowed its workers to enter and work in an unprotected, 10-foot deep excavation that had no protective systems in place, as required. The company is the general contractor for site improvements at the high school, including the construction of new tennis courts and synthetic turf fields.

“Without needed protections in place, an excavation can quickly become a grave as thousands of pounds of soil collapse upon workers below ground,” said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA’s Parsippany Area Office.

The contractor was cited with a willful violation for exposing workers to cave-in hazards because the excavation lacked proper cave-in protection or safeguards. OSHA cited serious violations related to the company’s failure to prevent employee exposures to fall, atmospheric and explosion hazards. The company also failed to:

  • Have a competent person inspect the excavation;
  • Have a written permit space program;
  • Train employees on safely performing their job duties and the hazards associated with them;
  • Coordinate rescue and emergency services for workers entering a sewer manhole; and
  • Provide mechanical retrieval equipment in case of an emergency.

OSHA has a national emphasis program on trenching and excavations. The trenching standards require protective systems on trenches deeper than 5 ft, and soil and other materials kept at least 2 ft from the edge of trench.

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