OSHA responds to ‘ alarming ’ increase in trench deaths
By Zachary Phillips
Dive Brief :
■ In response to an “ alarming ” increase in trench-related fatalities , OSHA has launched an enhanced enforcement initiative to protect workers from the hazard , the Department of Labor organization announced .
■ In the first six months of 2022 , 22 workers died from hazards in trench and excavation work , according to OSHA . That surpassed the 15 that perished in all of 2021 .
■ OSHA said it would consider various enforcement tools , including adding emphasis for how officials evaluate penalties , and criminal referrals for federal or state prosecution to hold employers or others accountable for putting workers ’ lives at risk .
Dive Insight :
OSHA highlighted a June 28 incident as an impetus for its decision . In Jarrell , Texas , two workers , aged 20 and 39 , died when the 20-foot trench they worked in collapsed on them . Shields to reinforce their trench could have saved their lives . They sat unused beside the excavation , OSHA said . workers needlessly dying and suffering serious injuries in trenching incidents must be stopped ,” said Doug Parker , assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health .
The push for criminal referrals echoes a bill — dubbed “ Carlos ’ Law ” — which recently made it to the desk of New York Gov . Kathy Hochul . The bill , named after a worker who died in an improperly reinforced trench seven years ago , would elevate the minimum fines to $ 500,000 for those charged with a felony and found criminally responsible in such incidents .
“ Every one of these tragedies could have been prevented had employers complied with OSHA standards ,” Parker said . “ There simply is no excuse for ignoring safety requirements to prevent trench collapses and cave-ins , and leaving families , friends and co-workers to grieve when the solutions are so well-understood .”
“ In a matter of seconds , workers can be crushed and buried under thousands of pounds of soil and rocks in an unsafe trench . The alarming increase in the number of
4 DITCHMEN • JULY 2022