Washington Contractors Fined for Exposing Workers to 22-Foot Wall of Dirt

A crew of concrete workers were put in danger during a recent home build in Spokane, prompting a Washington safety regulator to issue $300,000 in fines for exposing them to potential cave-ins and excavation hazards.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited and fined general contractor Better Builders of Spokane LLC and its subcontractor VS Concrete LLC for numerous willful and serious cave-in related hazards. The contractor also reportedly refused to post a stop work order and removed it after it was posted by the inspector.

The local building department contacted the L&I after multiple VS Concrete employees were seen working next to a 22-foot high, nearly vertical dirt wall without adequate cave-in protection. They were working in a gap between the dirt wall and the concrete foundation with no way to escape if the dirt had collapsed, according to L&I.

Both the county and L&I ordered work to stop at the site until the hazards were eliminated. Better Builders reportedly refused to post L&I’s order, and after the inspector posted it himself the company removed that order. When L&I reposted it, the property owner took it down again. Less than two weeks after the initial inspection, VS Concrete workers were photographed working between 10-foot-high concrete forms and the massive dirt wall in violation of the state order, according to L&I.

L&I fined Better Builders $121,840 for four willful serious and four serious violations including not having an adequate engineer’s design for excavations more than 20 feet, not ensuring its subcontractor’s workers were protected from hazards and for violating the order of immediate restraint.

VS Concrete was fined $183,040 for seven willful serious and eight serious violations including workers walking or crawling along the top of 10-foot-high concrete foundation forms without fall protection and for exposing workers to unguarded vertical steel rebar sticking up from concrete footings. The company was also fined for violating the order of immediate restraint.

Both companies have filed an appeal.

Topics Washington Contractors