Two Florida contractors face six-figure Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for willfully exposing workers at sites in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach to trench and excavation collapses and cave-ins, the agency announced December 5.
Masci General Contractor is facing $216,633 in proposed penalties after agency inspectors witnessed workers installing a sewer line in a trench 6 feet deep and 40 feet long near International Speedway and Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach. K T Carter Contracting Inc. faces fines totaling $146,803 after OSHA inspectors encountered workers in a 12-foot-deep trench on Imeson Park Boulevard in Jacksonville without cave-in protection.
Agency inspectors at both excavation sites initiated the removal of the employees from the trenches.
The agency cited both contractors for serious violations for exposing workers to cave-in and struck-by hazards by not providing a stairway, ramp, ladder, or other safe means to enter or exit the trench and for placing spoil piles along the edge of the excavations.
“Exposing workers to unprotected trenches puts their lives at serious risk,” Scott Tisdale, OSHA’s Jacksonville area office director, said in an agency statement. “In a matter of seconds, a trench wall can collapse, burying workers under tons of soil, leading to life-altering injuries–incidents that are completely preventable with the right safety measures in place. In these cases, we are fortunate that our inspectors were able to intervene before a tragedy occurred, rather than responding to one afterward.”
Last month, OSHA acknowledged significant decreases in fiscal year (FY) 2024 in the number of fatal injuries from trench collapses and falls, two leading causes of construction industry workers’ deaths. In 2022, the agency increased its enforcement efforts due to a spike in trenching and excavation fatalities.
Illinois roofer again cited for fall hazards
OSHA has cited a Lake Zurich, Illinois, roofing contractor for the eighth time since 2020 for exposing workers to falls from elevation, the agency announced December 4.
Following multiple worksite inspections, OSHA cited Fino Exterior Inc. with 13 safety violations and is seeking $262,631 in penalties. Agency inspectors observed employees of Fino Exterior working atop residential structures without required fall protection equipment on four occasions in 2024: in Palatine on February 6, Orland Park on June 12, Palos Heights on August 16, and Shorewood on October 16.
In addition to the fall protection violations, OSHA cited Fino Exterior for the following:
- Permitting employees to work near energized power lines
- Not providing employees with required hard hats
- Failing to train workers in fall protection hazards and prevention
- Lack of eye protection for workers operating pneumatic nail guns
- Improper use of ladders
The agency issued similar citations following six inspections since 2020 and two others issued under Arellano Roofing Corp., a previous operating name. The employer is currently liable for $65,115 in unpaid OSHA penalties.
“Fino Exterior’s blatant disregard for its employees’ safety is a callous invitation to tragedy,” James Martineck, OSHA’s Chicago south area office director, said in a statement. “All too often, our inspectors find construction contractors violating regulations repeatedly in their misguided belief that their workers will not fall victim to serious injuries or worse.”