Contractor Cited for Repeat Trenching, Excavation Hazards on DOT Project
OSHA has proposed $50,000 in penalties against Northern Pipeline Construction Co. for two repeat safety violations that occurred as the company was relocating gas main lines in Cumming, Ga., under contract to Atlanta Gas Light Resources as part of a Georgia Department of Transportation project. Agency inspectors found that the Fairburn, Ga.-based utility contractor was installing pipe through a trench that was 50 feet in length and 6 feet in depth without a means of employee egress and without having a protective system in place. OSHA cited the company in 2006 for similar violations that occurred while it was installing a tap in a trench that was 7 to 8 feet in depth.
"Trenching and excavating remains one of the most hazardous construction operations," said Gei-Thae Breezley, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office. "No employee should be exposed to the danger of trench collapse." Additional information on OSHA's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation is available at www.osha.gov/SLTC/trenchingexcavation/index.html.