ConDig (28-Aug-17).  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has hit general contractor First Dakota Enterprises Inc. with a fine of $95,064 following a trench collapse on a site in South Dakota in May.

The Fort Pierre-based company was cited by the agency for two repeat and one serious safety violation amid claims that it did not use a trench protective system or conduct regular site inspections to correct potentially hazardous conditions.

The company had been selected by the City of Emery to replace the city’s main sewer and water lines.

But on May 23 a 34-year-old worker was completely buried when the walls of a 14-foot trench collapsed around him. Co-workers quickly freed the victim’s head, which allowed him to breathe while emergency personnel worked for more than 30 minutes to free him.

“Trench collapses are preventable,” said OSHA area director Sheila Stanley in Sioux Falls. “It is critical that employers involved in excavation work review their safety procedures to ensure that employees are properly protected and trained. Had it not been for the heroic actions of these co-workers, this dangerous collapse may have ended in tragedy.”

Trenching standards require protective systems on trenches deeper than 5 feet and soil and other materials kept at least 2 feet from the edge of a trench.

OSHA reported that as of June 1 this year 15 workers have died in trench collapses. In 2016, a total of 23 deaths occurred in trench and excavation operations.

Earlier this year, residential and commercial roofing contractor Great White Construction Inc. was fined more than $1.5 million by the OSHA for fall hazards.