A Clark County, Washington excavating company was fined $140,500 for knowingly putting workers in danger after a Washington Labor & Industries inspector witnessed employees pulling co-workers out of a 12-foot-deep trench where they were installing a new sewer line.
According to L&I, they had to pull the workers out by hand because the ladder in place to get in and out of the trench was far too short to reach the top.
Additionally, the company, Clark County Excavating & General Contracting, had a trench box in the trench that was too small for the job, leaving room for the walls to collapse around it, according to L&I.
During the inspection, the inspector witnessed the trench wall collapse an estimated 20 times, and the inspector halted work on the site until the hazards had been corrected.
The inspection resulted in five willful serious violations carrying a $140,500 fine. According to L&I, the company did not protect workers from cave-ins while working in, entering, or exiting the trench; they did not remove workers from the trench when it showed signs of collapsing; there was no walkway/ramp to cross over the trench; and the ladder was not extended at least three feet above the upper landing.
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