{"id":671,"date":"2017-04-12T14:33:10","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T18:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=671"},"modified":"2017-04-12T15:33:32","modified_gmt":"2017-04-12T19:33:32","slug":"breaking-osha-issues-one-enforcement-press-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2017\/04\/12\/breaking-osha-issues-one-enforcement-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING!!! OSHA Issues First Enforcement Press Release Announcing $1.5 million fine for two trench deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Employer in fatal Boston trench collapse did not provide safety training and basic safeguards for employees, OSHA finds<\/h1>\n

Atlantic Drain Service Co. Inc. cited for 18 violations<\/b><\/h2>\n

In a sharp break from Trump OSHA tradition, OSHA today issued the first enforcement-related press release<\/a> of this administration, close to $1.5 million for the death of two workers in a trench collapse last October. The last enforcement press release was issued January 18.<\/p>\n

And despite industry associations’ constant attempts to shame Obama’s OSHA for\u00a0shaming employers who endanger workers, OSHA\u00a0was apparently shamed into issuing this press release that contains a rather shameless quote from Region I Regional Administrator Galen Blanton that appears\u00a0to be an attempt to shame Atlantic Drain Service Co:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe deaths of these two men could have and should have been prevented. Their employer, which previously had been cited by OSHA for the same hazardous conditions, knew what safeguards were needed to protect its employees but chose to ignore that responsibility,\u201d said Galen Blanton, OSHA\u2019s New England regional administrator.<\/p>\n

And the shaming of Atlantic Drain Service Co. — and its owner, Kevin Otto — is richly deserved.<\/p>\n

Background<\/h3>\n

\"\"Kelvin Mattocks and Robert Higgins were killed\u00a0when they were trapped in an unprotected 12 foot deep trench that collapsed on top of them last October. Then a hydrant flooded the hole and drowned them as they fought to escape the gravel.\u00a0 Mattocks was 53 and the father of six daughters. Higgins\u00a0was 47. In February, Boston prosecutors indicted Kevin Otto<\/a>, Atlantic’s owner, as well as the company, for two counts each of manslaughter, as well as misleading an investigator, and six counts of concealing a record. According to Assistant District Attorney Lynn Feigenbaum, Atlantic knew about the hazards because OSHA had previously :<\/p>\n

Levied $55,000 in fines against the company in 2007 and 2012 for putting workers in deep trenches without the equipment. After the second violation, Atlantic Drain agreed to provide comprehensive training programs to ensure their employees understood the hazards to which they were exposed, Feigenbaum said.<\/p>\n

When the Suffolk district attorney\u2019s office and OSHA began investigating the Oct. 21 collapse, Otto submitted falsified documents to OSHA that purported to be sign-in sheets for excavating and trenching trainings and documents regarding the receipt by workers of personal protective equipment, Feigenbaum said. But several of the people whose names appeared on the documents, she said, told officials they never signed them or gave anyone else permission to.\u00a0Those false documents, Feigenbaum said, were meant to mislead the investigation.<\/p>\n

Otto pleaded not guilty to all charges.<\/p>\n

In 2012 OSHA issued a an almost $74,000 citation <\/a>against Atlantic for a\u00a0willful and four repeat violations for exposing worker to a cave-in in an unprotected 9 foot deep trench. Atlantic was also put in OSHA’s Severe Violator program. In 2007, Atlantic received several citations<\/a>, including a willful for trench-related violations.<\/p>\n

The current OSHA citations <\/a>include “a total of 18 willful, repeat, serious and other-than-serious violations of workplace safety standards and is proposing $1,475,813 in penalties for those violations.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe deaths of these two men could have and should have been prevented. Their employer, which previously had been cited by OSHA for the same hazardous conditions, knew what safeguards were needed to protect its employees but chose to ignore that responsibility\u201d — Galen Blanton, OSHA New England regional administrator<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The press release notes that ” OSHA and the department\u2019s Regional Office of the Solicitor worked with the department\u2019s Office of the Inspector General, the Boston Police Department\u2019s Homicide Unit and the Suffolk County District Attorney\u2019s Office during the course of this investigation.”<\/p>\n

A Confined Space post<\/a> last month called on OSHA to start putting out press releases on trench collapses and other large cases. They serve the purpose of warning similar companies that OSHA will not tolerate violations of the law that endanger workers, and they serve an educational purpose — point out how to protect workers and what the law says. \u00a0 One hopes that more large fines like this, more criminal prosecutions — and more press releases will send a clear message to employers who rely on luck as their health and safety program.<\/p>\n

In response to the fatalities, in December, the Boston City Council passed an ordinance <\/a>giving city officials the authority to deny, revoke, or suspend a permit for any contractor with a poor record of ensuring their workers\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n

The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MASSCOSH) and several labor unions\u00a0demonstrated <\/a>outside the courthouse when the company was indicted, \u00a0and pointed out the weak penalties in Massachusetts for criminal convictions:<\/p>\n

It’s been 200 years since Massachusetts raised the maximum penalty a corporate entity can incur if convicted of manslaughter. Atlantic Drain Services may only be liable for $1,000 if it is convicted. Demonstrators ridiculed the insufficient fine and called for to be dramatically raised to reflect the true suffering family and co-workers go through when a worker is killed on the job due to negligence.<\/p>\n

Going forward, MassCOSH has pledged to support legislation filed by Senator Jennifer Flanagan that would increase penalties for employers convicted of manslaughter and similar crimes from $1,000 to $250,000, as well as increase provisions to debar employers for operating for up to 10 years.<\/p>\n

More Information on Safe Trenching<\/h3>\n

OSHA requires any trench over 5 feet deep to be protected from collapse. For workers or employers who need more information on trench safety, consult OSHA’s \u00a0\u00a0Trenching and Excavation web page<\/a> that links to its standards, publications, fact sheets, posters \u2014 in English and Spanish \u2014 \u00a0and anything else a worker or \u00a0employer \u00a0could want. And don\u2019t forget the OSHA-funded Onsite Consultation Program<\/a>\u00a0 where any small employer can get a free consultation and assistance without fear of an OSHA inspection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Employer in fatal Boston trench collapse did not provide safety training and basic safeguards for employees, OSHA finds Atlantic Drain Service Co. Inc. cited for 18 violations In a sharp break from Trump OSHA tradition, OSHA today issued the first enforcement-related press release of this administration, close to $1.5 million for the death of two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,101,2,7,113],"tags":[116],"class_list":["post-671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cosh","category-enforcement","category-osha","category-press-releases","category-trench-collapse","tag-massachusetts"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING!!! 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