OSHA Issues Citations to Kansas Contractors After Trench Collapse

Two workers survived the January 2023 incident, but the company is facing $333,949 in proposed penalties.

A citation for willful and serious violations has been issued to one Kansas contractor after two workers survived a trench wall collapse, and another is facing a citation for one serious violation.

While a worker was in a 9-foot-deep trench in Salina, Kansas—nearly 110 miles west of Topeka, Kansas—a wall collapsed. In an attempt to rescue the buried worker, a foreman began digging, but when the wall collapsed more, he eventually found himself buried up to his knees, according to a news release. The workers, both employees of Precision Plumbing LLC, were rescued and survived the January 2023 incident.

Now, nearly six months after the trench collapse, Precision Plumbing LLC is facing a citation for two willful and six serious violations and $333,949 in proposed penalties.

While the willful violations include a lack of cave-in protection and having soil piles and equipment too close to the trench edge, the serious violations were issued for not ensuring hard hat usage, not giving workers eye protection, not “protect[ing] workers from drowning hazards due to an unsupported water pipe in the trench” and not “develop[ing] a program on chemical hazards and train workers on how to use chemicals safely,” OSHA noted.

In addition, Multicon Inc., the general contractor at the site, is also facing a citation for one serious violation and proposed penalties of $14,063. The citation was issued after OSHA discovered that a Multicon superintendent failed to ensure the trench collapse hazards they informed Precision Plumbing about were corrected, per the news release.

About the Author

Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.

Product Showcase

  • Full Line of Defense Against Combustible Dust Nilfisk

    Nilfisk provides a comprehensive range of industrial vacuums meticulously crafted to adhere to NFPA 652 housekeeping standards, essential for gathering combustible dust in Class I, Group D, and Class II, Groups E, F & G environments or non-classified settings. Our pneumatic vacuums are meticulously engineered to fulfill safety criteria for deployment in hazardous surroundings. Leveraging advanced filtration technology, Nilfisk ensures the secure capture of combustible materials scattered throughout your facility, ranging from fuels, solvents, and metal dust to flour, sugar, and pharmaceutical powders. Read More

  • HAZ LO HEADLAMPS

    With alkaline or rechargeable options, these safety rated, Class 1, Div. 1 Headlamps provide long runtime with both spot and flood options in the same light. Work safely and avoid trip hazards with flexible hands-free lighting from Streamlight. Read More

  • Preventative Heat Safety

    Dehydration and heat exposure impair physical and cognitive performance. Proper hydration boosts heat stress resilience, but hydration needs are highly individualized and hard to predict across a workforce. Connected Hydration® empowers industrial athletes to stay safe through behavioral interventions, informed by sports science, and equips safety teams with critical insights to anticipate high-risk situations and adapt to evolving environmental factors. Curious about applying the latest in sports science based hydration strategies for industrial athletes? Stop by booth #1112 at AIHA or schedule a free demo today at https://epcr.cc/demo. Read More

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars