News Release
Tamuning contractor faces $1M in penalties after federal inspectors find employees again exposed to potentially fatal trench hazards
TIYAN, GUAM ‒ A contractor with a history of failing to protect employees working in trenches from potentially deadly harm faces penalties of more than $1 million after federal investigators found employees working in trenches deeper than 5 feet without required safety equipment.
Trench collapses are among the construction industry’s most serious dangers. Excavations can collapse in seconds and lead to serious and often fatal injuries as workers are buried under cubic yards of soil, each weighing as much as 3,000 lbs. In 2022, trench collapses killed at least 39 U.S. construction workers.
Despite these dangers, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration discovered employees of Giant Construction Corp., a Tamuning contractor, installing sewer lines in multiple trenches at a worksite in the Palisades Subdivision Project in Tiyan.
“Giant Construction Corp. has shown a flagrant disregard for the safety of its employees and put workers at risk of serious and potentially fatal injuries,” said OSHA Area Office Director Roger Forstner in Honolulu. “The company’s owner admits they understand the dangers but still chooses to put profit before people. The significant penalties assessed after this inspection send a clear signal to Giant Construction Corp. and other employers that OSHA will not tolerate such callous attitudes when employees are endangered.”
OSHA cited Giant Construction Corp. for nine willful violations for its multiple failures to protect employees working in trenches. The agency also cited the company for two serious violations for not providing adequate means to exit trenches.
Since 2014, Giant Construction has been subject to five other OSHA inspections in which the agency cited the company for nine violations, including two serious violations and one repeat violation in October 2022. Among its past infractions are violations related to failures to protect employees from trench hazards.
OSHA has a National Emphasis Program on trenching and excavations. Trenching standards require protective systems in trenches deeper than 5 feet. Additionally, trenches must be inspected by a knowledgeable person and there must be a safe means of egress from the trench prior to allowing a worker to enter.
Giant Construction Corp. is a general contractor specializing in residential and commercial construction.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
