Different trenches, same hazards net company violations
No protection against cave-ins, falls or struck-bys
OSHA has cited Gulf Coast Utility Contractors LLC with two willful and two serious safety violations with proposed penalties totaling $106,400 for exposing workers to a cave-in and other hazards while they were installing underground utilities at a job site in Panama City Beach.
One OSHA inspection was initiated in December 2012 after its inspectors observed hazards while passing the work site. Another inspection began in February 2013 after additional trenching hazards were found at the same project in a different area. These inspections were part of the agency's national emphasis program on trenching. Two willful violations, with $98,000 in proposed penalties, involve failing to provide workers with protection against cave-in hazards while working in a trench greater than 5 feet in depth.