OSHA: Washington County contractor, Pittsburgh staffing agency failed to protect temporary workers from potential trench collapse

Employers name: Kinsey Corp. Inc., 767 Debout Road, Venetia, Pennsylvania
Gillmann Services Inc., 1301 Beaver Ave., Suite 11, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Construction contractor Kinsey Corp. was contracted to install sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and other underground utility lines at the Settlers Pointe housing development in Pittsburgh. Kinsey contracted Gillmann Services to provide temporary employees for pipe installation work.

Inspection site: Near Ridge and McMichael Roads, Pittsburgh

Citations issued: On Feb. 2, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Pittsburgh Area Office issued citations to Kinsey Corp. for one willful and four serious violations. Gillmann Services was cited for one serious violation.

Investigation findings: After receiving an anonymous telephone tip, OSHA initiated an inspection on Sept. 15, 2015, and found workers and temporary workers working in a trench as deep as 18 feet without cave-in protections.

OSHA issued a willful citation to Kinsey for failing to take measures to protect company employees and one temporary employee in a trench as deep as 18 feet. The agency also identified serious violations related to safety hazards that endangered employees as they installed a storm sewer and related structures.

In addition, Gillmann Services’ failure to train its employees prior to allowing them to perform trenching and excavation work, highly hazardous work, warranted a serious OSHA violation.

The employers have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Proposed penalties: $37,600 for Kinsey Corp. Inc., and $7,000 for Gillmann Services Inc.                                            

Quote: “Both Kinsey Corp. and Gillmann Services failed to provide the required training and take necessary precautions to protect their workers from the serious dangers associated with trenching and excavation. Without proper protection, a cave-in or collapse with these people working 18 feet below ground could have been catastrophic. These workers could have been crushed and buried beneath thousands of pounds of soil,” said Christopher Robinson, director of OSHA’s Pittsburgh Area Office. “Host employers and staffing agencies are jointly responsible for maintaining a safe work environment for all workers; this includes ensuring that OSHA’s training requirements are met, especially when you consider two workers die each month nationally in trench and excavation incidents.”

View the citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/KinseyCorporationInc_1091973.pdf.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Pittsburgh Area Office at 412-395-4903.