3 Contractors Cited for Cave-Ins at Supermarket Construction Site

OSHA has cited and fined three Massachusetts contractors for exposing workers to cave-in hazards at a Salem, New Hampshire, worksite. Joseph P. Cardillo & Son, Inc. of Wakefield, Majestic Mechanical Contractors Inc., of Tewksbury, and Domenick Zanni Sons, Inc., of Reading were cited for violations while installing a grease trap and piping for a supermarket being built on Rt. 28. An inspection was launched in June when an OSHA official observed employees working in an unprotected 8-foot-deep excavation that also lacked a ladder or other safe means of egress.

New Hampshire area director Rosemarie Ohar noted that the size of the fines—$154,700—reflects the gravity of the hazards and the fact that two of the employers knew about requirements to prevent cave-ins but did not supply them. “The danger was real and present because the walls of an unguarded trench can collapse in seconds, striking and engulfing workers before they have a chance to react or escape,” she said.

OSHA requires that excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse.