OSHA Cites Contractor for Excavation Hazards

One willful and two serious violations were discovered by OSHA investigators at a Niagara Falls worksite.

Accadia Site Contracting Inc. has been fined for excavation safety violations at a water main site in Niagara Falls. OSHA has found $84,000 worth of violations at the site. 

Last March, OSHA investigators at the site found Accadia employees in a 7-foot-deep excavation that lacked cave-in protection and ladders every five feet for exit. In addition to these cave-in dangers, 8 inches of water had accumulated in the bottom of the excavation, which would increase the potential for collapse. 

"An unprotected excavation can turn into a grave in seconds, crushing and burying workers beneath tons of soil before they have an opportunity to react or escape," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, in an OSHA statement. "These workers were fortunate -- not lucky, because workplace safety must never be dependent on luck -- that they were not injured or killed."

The company was cited with one willful violation for the unprotected excavation. The water and ladder hazards were determined to be serious violations. 

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