The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday said it cited a construction company for exposing laborers to potentially deadly trench hazards during excavation work in the U.S. island territory of Guam.
OSHA said it cited Tamuning-based Superman Corp. for two serious violations after a May inspection found employees working to install a sewer line at a subdivision under construction in Mangilao were not properly protected against trench hazards.
The company failed to provide an adequate means to enter and exit the trench and it failed to test oxygen levels in the trench before employees entered the workspace, OSHA said.
OSHA proposed $73,219 in fines.
OSHA said it also cited the company for a willful violation after inspectors learned the company’s president, Allen Kim, failed to provide workers with cave-in protections despite having been previously trained on, and warned about, trenching safety.
The company has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.