• 10
  • February
    2012

Inspectors from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) investigate, levy fines and take other enforcement actions against companies for what the agency deems negligent or willful behavior that results in construction injuries and accidents.

OSHA's purview is the universe of workplace incidents, from scaffold falls and electrical injuries to crane collapses, pressurized tank explosions, fire outbreaks and other matters.

One particularly strong focus of the agency in recent years has been trench collapses and cave-ins, with OSHA Administrator David Michaels calling accidents during trenching operations "some of the most common and grisliest causes of worker fatalities in construction."

The agency regards cave-ins as being entirely preventable, and is tough on companies that it views are not taking due safety precautions to protect their employees working in trenches. A construction company based in Louisiana and with operations in a number of states, including North Carolina, knows that well.

Sunland Construction Inc. has been cited for willful violations in exposing workers to a potential trench collapse recently at a construction site in Georgia. OSHA also levied a $140,000 fine against the company.

Sunland has been cited for similar offenses three other times since 2010 at worksites in North Carolina, Texas and Alabama.

A workplace injury can have dire consequences and raise a number of complex questions. Workers' compensation is an obvious factor, as is the potential for a claim against a third party that might have contributed to the accident. Workers are sometimes reluctant to even bring a claim, fearing reprisals from their employer.

If you have questions concerning any aspect of a construction accident or injury, contact a proven construction accident attorney to discuss the matter and to obtain diligent representation.

Source: EHS Today, "Inspector sees employees exposed to cave-in hazards, OSHA launches investigation" Sandy Smith, Jan. 13, 2012