by Citation News Editor
17. January 2012
Proposed Fines Total $140,000
Headquartered in Eunice, LA, Sunland Construction is a provider of construction and related services. On December 30, 2011, OSHA cited the company for exposing workers to a possible trench collapse while replacing high-pressure gas lines along Fischer Road in Newnan, GA. OSHA is proposing $140,000 in penalties.
On August 12, 2011, an OSHA investigator noticed that Sunland had not provided a safe means of egress from a nearly 6-foot trench and had exposed workers in the trench to cave-in hazards. OSHA cited the company with two willful violations. Willful violations are committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard of the requirements, or with a plain indifference to worker safety and health.
OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse. Site excavations must be shored or sloped as appropriate to prevent accidental collapse. The collapse of a 5x5-foot trench a yard deep produces a soil spill weighing close to 7500 pounds, making it a life-threatening event.
"Cave-ins can happen quickly, without warning and with deadly consequences. OSHA will not allow employers to be indifferent to protecting their employees against these hazards," said Andre Richards, Director of OSHA's Atlanta-West Area Office.
Sunland had previously received three citations since 2010 in Alabama, North Carolina and Texas. The Texas violations were similar to those committed in Georgia. The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Health and Safety Review Commission.
Detailed information on trenching and excavation hazards is available at OSHA's Web site.
