A LaPorte-based company has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after inspectors found that the company had failed to protect workers from excavation hazards. OSHA has proposed penalties totaling up to more than $81,000 for Horseshoe Construction.
OSHA began an investigation last month, and found that employees of the company had exposed workers to serious trench collapse hazards. The workers had been working in trenches that had not been shored to prevent a collapse. These failures to prevent trench collapses fortunately did not result in any injuries.
Trench collapses are some of the deadliest accidents on a construction site. Approximately 300 workers are killed every year in trench collapse accidents. OSHA requires construction companies to make sure that a trench is safe to use before workers are allowed into the trench. That involves strengthening the wall of the trench through a process called shoring. Shoring involves the use of metal, wood and other materials to strengthen the walls of the trench, and prevent a cave in. Unfortunately, as a Houston work injury lawyer, I often see these procedures being bypassed by construction companies.
When it comes to trench collapses, prevention is much better than rescue. When a trench begins to cave in, it can be too late for workers around to help a victim who’s being covered with the pouring soil. A victim may be completely buried under the soil within just a few minutes. Even victims whose heads remain above the soil, can be hard to rescue. Rescue workers may not be able to initiate efforts to extricate a victim from the trench as quickly as possible, because of fears of another cave in.
Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.
For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.
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