A contractor just got hit with a $4.6 million fine. One worker is dead. Another is seriously injured. And it all happened because a trench wasn't protected properly.
Revoli Construction was working on a sewer project in Yarmouth, Massachusetts last November when a trench filled with sandy soil collapsed and trapped two workers. Miguel Reis, 61, didn't make it out. OSHA investigated and came back with 57 citations - seven of them willful. That's not a paperwork problem. That's a pattern.
The violations read like a checklist of everything you never want to see at your jobsite:
- No adequate cave-in protection
- No safe exit route from the trench
- Unsupported underground utilities
- Spoil piles within two feet of the excavation
- Shoring system not installed per design
- Damaged protective equipment still in use
- Electrical and fall hazards layered on top of it all
Here's the part that gets me every time: these are all preventable. Every single one. The rules for trench safety have existed for decades. OSHA's excavation standard (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P) spells out exactly what's required. Sloping, shoring, shields - pick your method, but pick one.
The U.S. Secretary of Labor called the cave-in a "solemn reminder of the dangers construction workers face when basic safety procedures and safe engineering solutions are ignored." Hard to argue with that.
Sandy soil is some of the most unpredictable material you'll ever work around. It can look fine one second and be moving the next. No visual inspection substitutes for engineered protection.
Best Practices and Tips
- Classify your soil before you dig. Type A, B, or C matters. Sandy and granular soils are typically Type C - the most dangerous - and require the steepest slope angles or full shoring.
- Keep spoil piles at least two feet from the edge. This is not a guideline. It's a hard rule. Weight at the edge increases collapse risk.
- Inspect before every shift and after rain. Conditions change. A trench that was fine yesterday might not be safe today.
- Provide a safe entry and exit point. A ladder within 25 feet of every worker in a trench deeper than four feet. No exceptions.
- Never use a damaged protective system. If your trench box is cracked or your shoring is bent, pull your crew until it's fixed.
- Get a competent person on-site. OSHA requires it. This person must be trained to identify hazards and has the authority to stop work.
Revoli now faces $4.6 million in fines and a legal fight with federal regulators. More than that, a family lost their father, husband, and provider. No project schedule justifies that.
If you're running excavation work right now - or you're about to start - do yourself a favor and run through your trench safety checklist before the next shift.