Excavation Company Will Soon Increase Trenching Hazard Training for Employees
Wagner Construction Inc. signs a settlement agreement with OSHA.
- By Shereen Hashem
- Apr 27, 2021
A Minnesota-based excavation company will now begin to train employees on excavation hazards, trenching and developing detailed site-specific safety plans. Wagner Construction Inc. employed a full-time safety manager to protect workers from deadly excavation hazards.
Following three North Dakota job site inspections in both 2019 and 2020 that found employees exposed to excavation hazards, Wagner construction committed to changing its safety procedure and training in a settlement agreement with OSHA.
According to an article, the agreement requires the company to pay a $380,000 penalty to provide immediate training on excavation hazards to employees, supervisors and managers, hire a third-party safety consultant, provide OSHA with addresses of its 2021 job sites for inspections, hold weekly supervisor meetings and form a corporate safety committee. The company’s safety and compliance manager will purchase new safety equipment this season.
“Excavation and trenching are some of the most hazardous operations in construction. OSHA worked with Wagner to address safety issues found on their North Dakota job sites,” said OSHA Area Director Scott Overson in Bismarck, North Dakota.“Preparing and executing job site safety plans that include sloping, shoring and shielding trenches can prevent cave-ins and worker injuries.”
OSHA is collaborating with the National Utility Contractors Association and the North American Excavation Shoring Association for the annual Trench Safety Stand Down Week from June 14-18, 2021.
About the Author
Shereen Hashem is the Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety magazine.