St. Louis construction contractor cited for excavation hazards

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited J.H. Berra Construction Co., based in St. Louis, for exposing employees to excavation hazards at a residential construction site in Saint Charles, Missouri. The company faces penalties of $143,206.

OSHA opened an investigation after inspectors observed employees working in an inadequately protected trench. OSHA alleges that J.H. Berra Construction Co. failed to use a protective system in an excavation, exposing employees to struck-by and engulfment hazards, and failed to ensure a competent person conducted daily inspections for hazards prior to allowing employees to enter a trench.

OSHA cited the company for one willful and two serious citations for failing to protect employees from cave-in hazards following its investigation Feb. 14.

“Trench collapses and cave-ins pose a serious threat to workers’ lives, but the risks can be prevented by complying with safety requirements that exist to protect workers,” says OSHA St. Louis Area Director Bill McDonald in a news release.

OSHA recently updated the National Emphasis Program on preventing trenching and excavation collapses and developed a series of compliance assistance resources to help keep workers safe from these hazards. The agency’s trenching and excavation webpage provides additional information on trenching hazards and solutions. The page includes a trenching operations QuickCard on protecting workers around trenches and the "Protect Workers in Trenches" poster that provides a quick reminder of the three ways to prevent dangerous trench collapses.

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.