Federal safety officials have cited a Birmingham-area construction company after determining that workers were exposed to serious trench collapse hazards at a Jefferson County jobsite, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that CB&A Construction LLC failed to provide required protective systems for employees installing drainpipes in an excavation. Inspectors determined the trench lacked safeguards designed to prevent cave-ins, placing workers at risk of being buried or seriously injured.
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Beyond the unprotected excavation, OSHA also identified additional safety failures at the site. Workers were observed handling suspended loads without hard hats and working along the edge of the trench without barriers, increasing the risk of struck-by and fall-related injuries.
OSHA classified the violations as willful, a designation reserved for cases in which employers knowingly fail to comply with safety requirements or show plain indifference to worker protection. The agency has proposed $170,145 in penalties as a result of the findings.
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CB&A Construction has 15 business days after receiving the citations to correct the hazards, request an informal conference with an OSHA area director, or formally contest the citations before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Under OSHA’s trenching and excavation standards, employers must use protective systems such as trench shields, sloping, or shoring to prevent collapses. Trench cave-ins remain one of the leading causes of fatalities in construction, often occurring without warning and leaving little chance for escape.
The inspection was conducted as part of OSHA’s National Emphasis Program, which targets enforcement and outreach efforts in high-hazard industries. The program is designed to reduce serious injuries and fatalities by focusing resources on known risks, including excavation and trenching work.
OSHA officials continue to urge employers to seek compliance assistance and training resources to ensure workers are protected from trench collapse hazards before work begins.
Originally reported by Stasia DeMarco in OHS Online.
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