Excavator Bucket That Crushed Worker Leads to $170K Fine for Washington Contractor

A contractor was fined $170,000 for workplace violations that resulted in a 3,000-pound excavator bucket falling on an employee in southwest Washington.

The Rotschy Inc. construction company was hit with $170,000 in fines from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

According to L&I, an employee was signaling an excavator operator with hand gestures while working in a trench box. The excavator bucket fell from the arm of the excavator and onto the employee, crushing his lower half. The operator then used the excavator’s hydraulic arm to try and lift the bucket off of the worker. However, that resulted in the worker getting crushed a second time, according to an L&I investigation.

The worker was eventually rescued by emergency crews, and spent a month hospitalized with serious injuries.

An incident report shows that the Woodland, Wash. work site had two excavators that were missing a safety latch on the couplers. This latch’s purpose is to ensure the bucket stays in place and remains stable on the excavator. The department was also told by a maintenance worker that over the past year, they have been seeing quick couplers with missing latches in several other areas. A follow up inspection discovered that 13 excavators were not equipped with safety latches, according to L&I.

As a result of these and other violations, Rotschy was charged violations up to $170,136. Consequently, Rotschy will now be placed on the department’s Severe Violator’s list.

Rotschy has said the company plans to appeal.

Topics Washington Contractors