September 16, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Fines Wisconsin Excavation Company
For Exposing Employees to Trenching Hazards

NEW LONDON, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Wood Sewer & Excavation Inc. for willfully exposing employees to excavation hazards at a construction site in Fox Point, Wisconsin. The company faces $65,921 in penalties.

OSHA inspectors cited the company for failing to protect employees working inside an 8-feet-deep trench and provide a safe means of exit from the excavation area.

OSHA recently updated the National Emphasis Program on preventing injuries related to trenching and excavation collapses, and developed a series of compliance assistance resources to help keep workers safe from these hazards.

OSHA’s trenching and excavation webpage provides additional information on trenching hazards and solutions. The site includes a trenching operations QuickCard that provides information on protecting workers around trenches and OSHA’s “Protect Workers in Trenches” poster that provides a quick reminder of the three ways to prevent dangerous trench collapses. The poster is available in English and Spanish.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for American working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

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Media Contacts:

Scott Allen, 312-353-4727, allen.scott@dol.gov
Rhonda Burke, 312-353-6976, burke.rhonda@dol.gov

Release Number: 19-1564-CHI

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The Department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the Department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).