Golf Course Trench Fatality Brings $20,250 Penalty
OSHA's fines can be perplexing at times, and a $20,250 penalty for seven alleged violations connected to a golf course worker's death in Greenwich, Conn., is one example. Tamarack opened on July 4, 1929, according its Web site, www.tamarackcountryclub.com.
OSHA said yesterday the fatality occurred in an unprotected 6-foot-deep trench Jan. 10, 2007, as the worker was installing drainage pipes on the golf course. "I want all employers in southwestern Connecticut whose employee work in excavations to focus on this accident and take steps to ensure that this doesn't happen to their employees," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
The investigation found the trench's walls had not been shored, sloped, or protected against a cave-in. One of the alleged violations was for lack of employee training, the agency said. The club has 15 working days to contest the case.