Contractor issued $1M in penalties over trenching hazards

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that it cited a Guam residential and commercial contractor for failing to protect workers against potentially fatal trench hazards.

OSHA cited Tamuning-based Giant Construction Corp. for nine “willful” violations and two “serious” violations and proposed more than $1 million in penalties after investigators encountered employees installing sewer lines in trenches without required safety equipment.

The citation stems from an inspection at the Palisades Subdivision Project in Tiynan, Guam, in October 2023.

The agency said it cited Giant Construction five other times for similar violations in the past 10 years.

The company has 15 business days to contest the latest citation and proposed penalties.