Oklahoma Contractor Again Cited for Trenching Hazards, Fined $205.5K

Federal officials have cited an Oklahoma construction contractor for exposing its employees to trenching and excavation hazards, violations for which it has been cited previously.

OSHA cited Cherokee Pride Construction Inc. of Sapulpa for serious violations related to excavation work. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $205,500.

Inspectors arrived at a Broken Arrow job site in September 2020 and found employees in standing water as they installed water lines in two trenches as part of a street widening project. OSHA determined the company failed to ensure required cave-in protection was used, an appropriate means of escape existed and that workers wore hard hats, as required.

OSHA cited the company for two willful, four repeat and three serious violations. The agency previously cited Cherokee Pride Construction three times in 2017 for failing to provide trench workers personal protective equipment, a means of escape and hazard recognition training, allowing standing water inside the excavation sites, and failing to fix ladder defects.

Cherokee Pride Construction has 15 business days from receipt of citation 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.

Source: OSHA

Topics Contractors Oklahoma