The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited two Florida contractors for exposing workers to one of the deadliest hazards in the construction industry: trench collapses and cave-ins. In a single week, OSHA inspectors identified these serious safety violations in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, where workers were subjected to deadly trench and excavation dangers.

On May 28, 2024, OSHA inspectors observed employees of Masci General Contractor Inc. working in a trench 6 feet deep and 40 feet long, installing a sewer line near International Speedway and Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach. The inspectors immediately intervened, removing the workers from the trench. OSHA subsequently issued a citation to the company for willfully endangering its workers by failing to provide essential cave-in protection, such as shoring or trench boxes, during the excavation work.

A few days later, OSHA inspectors discovered workers from K T Carter Contracting Inc. working in a 12-foot-deep trench on Imeson Park Boulevard in Jacksonville, without any cave-in protection. Once again, the workers were removed from the trench by OSHA, and the agency issued a willful violation to the company.

“Exposing workers to unprotected trenches puts their lives at serious risk,” said Scott Tisdale, OSHA area director. “In a matter of seconds, a trench wall can collapse, burying workers under tons of soil, leading to life-altering injuries – incidents that are completely preventable with the right safety measures in place. In these cases, we are fortunate that our inspectors were able to intervene before a tragedy occurred, rather than responding to one afterward.”

Additionally, both contractors were cited for serious violations for exposing workers to cave-in and struck-by hazards by failing to provide a safe means of entry or exit from the trenches, such as a stairway, ramp, or ladder. They were also found to have placed spoil piles along the edges of the excavation. Masci General Contractor faces $216,633 in proposed penalties, while K T Carter Contracting faces $146,803 in proposed penalties for their violations.