The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed more than $1.2 million in penalties against a Connecticut-based concrete and earthwork contractor, alleging repeated and willful safety violations that exposed workers to serious excavation and trenching hazards.
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According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Easton-based Sound Construction Inc. failed to adequately protect employees from cave-ins and other excavation-related dangers at multiple job sites in New Canaan and Stamford. OSHA said the proposed penalties total $1,224,798, following a series of inspections that uncovered numerous violations.
Federal regulators traced the enforcement action back to December 2023, when OSHA responded to a fatal incident involving a Sound Construction worker at a New Canaan worksite. After completing its investigation, OSHA cited the company for two willful violations and five serious violations, which ultimately led to a settlement agreement between the employer and the agency.
As part of that agreement, Sound Construction was required to submit monthly lists of its active worksites and permit OSHA to conduct random inspections to verify compliance with trenching and excavation safety standards.
Despite those requirements, OSHA inspectors returned to a Sound Construction job site in Stamford on June 12 and identified additional safety failures. The agency cited the employer for seven willful violations and four serious violations tied to excavation hazards.
Inspectors reported that the company failed to train workers on unsafe trenching and excavation conditions, did not provide adequate protections against cave-ins, neglected to conduct required daily excavation inspections, failed to follow trench shield installation standards, and did not properly backfill trench shields to prevent hazardous movement.
Sound Construction now has 15 days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before an independent commission. OSHA officials noted that penalties and citations may be adjusted as the case moves forward.
The enforcement action highlights OSHA’s continued focus on excavation and trenching hazards, which remain among the most dangerous conditions faced by construction workers nationwide.
Originally reported by Dalton Zbierski in Fox 61.
