Plumbing contractor cited in fatal trench collapse
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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday that it cited a Georgia plumbing contractor after a worker died in a trench collapse in August 2023.
OSHA proposed $308,125 in penalties for Macon-based Pyles Plumbing and Utility Contractors Inc.
The fatality occurred as two employees were installing sewer line piping in a trench when its side collapsed. The second worker suffered several fractures and needed to be hospitalized.
OSHA cited Pyles Plumbing for two willful violations for failing to provide trench shields and three serious violations for permitting employees to work inside a trench with defective shields and without head protection, and for failing to train workers to recognize and avoid trenching hazards.
The company has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.
