Department of Labor cites Connecticut contractor for workplace safety violations found in fatal New Canaan trench cave-in investigation

BRIDGEPORT, CT – An Easton concrete and earthwork contractor could have prevented an employee repairing an underground water line from suffering fatal injuries in a December 2023 trench collapse at a New Canaan work site but failed to follow federal safety standards for excavations.

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined Sound Construction Inc. exposed five employees to cave-in, engulfment or struck-by hazards when it did not do the following:

• Provide cave-in protection for the more than 12-foot-deep vertical walled trench, which resulted in the death of an employee.
• Train employees on how to recognize and avoid trenching hazards.
• Ensure an excavator was kept more than two feet from the trench’s edge.
• Verify the location of underground utilities and/or structures prior to excavation.

OSHA cited Sound Construction for two willful and five serious violations of federal regulations and proposed $394,083 in penalties. In 2016, the agency cited the company for three serious violations related to trench safety at a Trumbull worksite. 

“Despite prior warnings, Sound Construction ignored trench safety protections and that decision cost an employee their life,” said OSHA Area Director Catherine Brescia in Bridgeport, Connecticut. “All employers should make workplace safety a priority or risk being responsible for leaving the family, friends and co-workers of one or more of their employees to grieve this kind of preventable death.”

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its 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.

Learn more about OSHA and trench safety, including additional information on trenching hazards and solutions and a safety video.