Eighty Four company faces fines from OSHA
An Eighty Four company has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor for violating trenching and excavation requirements under Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules.
Alton Industries Inc., 11 Carlton Drive, received two citations Tuesday with proposed penalties totaling $41,580, but has 15 days to contest the citations.
According to a news release from the Labor Department, the company received two citations following an Oct. 29 incident at a worksite at 704 A&B Jonagold Road, Canonsburg, when OSHA inspectors said they found an employee replacing a sewer pipe in an 8- to 9-foot-deep, unprotected excavation in direct view of the site’s foreman.
The Pittsburgh area office issued a willful citation for the violation.
The Labor Department said the inspection occurred five months after the company was cited for the lack of cave-in protection. It noted that the same foreman who was present during the previous inspection was on-site and overseeing the work Oct. 29.
“Alton Industries Inc. continues to put its employees in considerable danger despite previous violations for unsafe and potentially lethal excavation work,” said Christopher Robinson, director of OSHA’s Pittsburgh office, in a statement.
“This practice will not be tolerated. Without proper protection, trenching and excavating sites can become deathtraps for workers in the blink of an eye.”
Alton did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.