The construction company in this case study builds and installs water supply and sewer pipes. On July 10, 2009, while the company was performing trenching work to install water service lines at a Boston worksite, an OSHA compliance officer arrived for an inspection.
The compliance officer saw an employee climb out of an unprotected trench that was approximately 6 feet deep. From about 50 feet away, he also observed an employee climb out of a second trench.
The inspector walked to the second trench, where he saw an employee standing next to the trench and a supervisor digging in it with a shovel. The trench was unprotected – no shoring or trench box to prevent a cave-in – and the trench walls rose over the supervisor’s head.
