Missouri Plumbing Contractor Admits to Safety Violations; Will Pay $225K Penalty

Arrow Plumbing LLC has admitted to willfully violating federal safety standards by failing to require and enforce the use of trench boxes or other trench protection techniques at a home construction site in Belton, Missouri, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced.

As a result of those failures, an employee suffered fatal injuries when an unprotected trench collapsed on him as he worked, OSHA said.

Under terms of a stipulation and settlement agreement entered before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Blue Springs, Missouri, company – and its successor company R2 Plumbing LLC – will pay a civil monetary penalty of $225,000.

The company also agreed to implement several safety enhancements. These include hiring a safety consultant to design and implement a trench safety program and conduct safety and health audits; providing extensive training for employees; reporting trenching-related incidents and near misses to OSHA; conducting meetings at new worksites to address hazards; and completing OSHA construction, and trenching and excavation training courses.

The agreement resolves similar violations cited following a December 2016 trench fatality and a January 2017 inspection where OSHA observed company employees working in an unprotected trench.

Source: OSHA