Maine Contractor Cited for Fatal Trench Collapse After Ignoring Safety Warnings
Patriot Paving Group faces $161,325 in penalties and five willful violations.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Dec 27, 2024
OSHA has cited Glenburn, Maine-based Patriot Paving Group LLC for five willful violations following a fatal trench collapse in June 2024. The company faces $161,325 in penalties for failing to follow safety protocols that could have prevented the incident.
According to a recent release, OSHA’s investigation revealed that two workers were installing storm drainage pipes in a three-to-four-foot-deep trench at a worksite when a 40-to-60-foot section of an unbraced retaining wall collapsed. One worker escaped, but the other suffered fatal injuries. The collapse occurred while company owner Clifford Lane operated an excavator near the base of the unstable wall, further destabilizing it.
OSHA concluded that Lane had been warned repeatedly by an onsite expert about the dangers posed by the retaining wall but continued excavation activities without implementing protective measures or evacuating employees. The agency determined Lane knowingly disregarded the company’s site-specific safety plan.
“The warnings were clear. Yet Clifford Lane chose to ignore them, putting progress before safety and putting employees directly in harm’s way,” OSHA Area Director Samuel Kondrup in Augusta, Maine, said in a statement. “There is no excuse for so callously endangering workers’ lives.”
OSHA’s citations include failing to brace the retaining wall, neglecting to evacuate employees from hazardous conditions and not providing adequate training on trench hazards. The agency’s National Emphasis Program focuses on enforcement efforts in trenching and excavation risks, aiming to reduce worker injuries in such operations.
Patriot Paving Group now has 15 business days to comply with the citations, request an informal conference or contest the findings before an independent commission.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.