The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Monday announced it cited a New York water and sewer line contractor after two employees died at a trench construction site at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
OSHA said it cited Bronx-based Triumph Construction Corp. for four serious violations and proposed $59,153 in penalties following the two workplace fatalities in April.
The workers were attempting to remove soil from below a concrete slab within a trench when the slab broke apart and fatally crushed both employees, according to OSHA.
The company failed to support the concrete slab, never instructed employees on safe slab removal methods, and failed to construct the excavation’s protective system based on OSHA-approved workplace safety design standards, the agency said.
The company has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.