Chicago Construction Company Cited for Trench Safety Failures
The company now could owe more than $72,000.
A Chicago construction company that allegedly failed to protect workers in a trench at a job site from cave-ins now faces $72,380 in penalties. Joel Kennedy Constructing Corp. was cited for five safety violations.
"Joel Kennedy Constructing Corp. has a responsibility to follow safety standards that protect workers from excavation hazards," said Diane Turek, OSHA's area director for the Chicago North Office in Des Plaines, in a statement on the OSHA website. "These types of hazards result in numerous fatalities and injuries every year. No job should put workers at risk due to an employer's failure to properly protect and train them."
Of the five violations, one was a willful violation for failing to provide cave-in protection.
A full list of the citations and more information on trenching safety can be found on the OSHA website.