Connecticut contractor cited in fatal trench collapse
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A Connecticut demolition contractor is facing proposed fines of $375,021 after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleges the July 22, 2022, death of a worker during a trench cave-in arose from apparent workplace safety failures.
Manchester, Connecticut-based Botticello Inc. exposed the deceased worker to deadly hazards as he worked to connect drainage piping at a residential development construction site in Vernon, Connecticut, according to OSHA.
The company was cited for three willful violations after OSHA inspectors said the company failed to provide legally required safeguards to prevent trench collapses, including failing to ensure the 135-foot-long trench offered sufficient means of egress allowing employees to exit safely.
Botticello was cited for similar violations in November 2015, according to OSHA. At the time, inspectors said the company failed to provide safeguards designed to protect workers from potentially deadly trench cave-ins.
OSHA said after the previous citation the company should have already been aware of the dangers in exposing workers to unprotected trenches.
The company has 15 days to contest the citation.
