Mo. plumbing contractor admits to violating trenching safety requirements
Following the death of an employee in a trench collapse, Arrow Plumbing LLC has admitted to willfully violating OSHA safety standards by failing to require and enforce the use of trench boxes or other trench protection techniques at a home construction site in Belton, Missouri. The worker was in an unprotected trench when it collapsed on him as he worked.
Under terms of a stipulation and settlement agreement entered before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Blue Springs, Missouri, company – and its successor company R2 Plumbing LLC – agreed to implement several safety enhancements. These include hiring a safety consultant to design and implement a trench safety program, and conduct safety and health audits; providing extensive training for employees; reporting trenching-related incidents and near misses to OSHA; conducting meetings at new worksites to address hazards; and completing OSHA construction, and trenching and excavation training courses. The company will also pay a civil monetary penalty of $225,000.