Trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. over the last decade

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https://www.npr.org/2024/07/20/g-s1-9028/osha-construction-safety-trench-collapse
(6 min. audio, photos, links, at source)

Trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. over the last decade

JULY 21, 2024 6:00 AM ET
By Cheryl W. Thompson, Robert Benincasa, Avery Jessa Chapnick, Josh Peck

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The men are two of the more than 250 people across the country who died over the last decade when trenches they were working in collapsed, according to an investigation by NPR, Texas Public Radio and 1A. In every instance, the deaths were preventable, experts say. All but one of the victims were male; the youngest was 16. In many cases, the companies failed to follow basic government rules for making trenches safe.

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Among our findings:

Companies fined by OSHA, whose role is to ensure workplace safety, sometimes ignored the penalties and faced no consequences, including one that still owes more than $1.4 million imposed after the deaths of two employees eight years ago.

At least 10 of the companies that employed workers who were killed had been sanctioned previously by the federal agency for failing to protect employees doing excavation/trench work. One was cited five times in four years; another four times in as many years.

While those who violate OSHA standards can be criminally charged, authorities rarely brought charges. When they did, most offenders got off with a fine, probation or little time in jail.

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