CONCRETE CONTRACTOR FINED $135,612.00

RC Structures Inc. of Roslyn, failed to incorporate protective means of preventing a trench catastrophe

A hefty price-tag of $135,612 in penalties will need to be paid by a Long Island foundation and concrete company for the collapse of a 30-foot deep trench in Oyster Bay which resulted in the death of two employees.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration revealed that the business, RC Structures Inc. of Roslyn, failed to incorporate protective means of preventing a trench catastrophe. Evidence from the January 2020 investigation unveiled that the two workers were not removed from the trench after its source of depletion was identified.

Ladders and safety exits were also absent among the trench. Employees lacked head protection and OSHA furthermore discovered that the company permitted stacked concrete and excavated materials to be stockpiled alongside the edge of the trench. The company was sited for serious and willful violations in July 2020.

RC Structures Inc. of Roslyn has agreed to pay the penalties in full and the concrete company has attested to a cessation of their digging excavations. The company is also required to manifest an excavation safety checklist to ensure protective means at work and for that checklist to be completed whenever workers enter excavation sites. RC structures must comply with the guidance of a qualified professional safety and health consultant in addition to providing company-wide training regarding hardhat usage and ladder safety.
Solicitor of Labor, Jeffrey S. Rogoff of New York City, has stated that the U.S. Department of Labor is devoted to enforcing and achieving workplace safety to avoid such hazards and fatalities from occurring. OSHA’s Long Island Area Office directed the 2020 investigation and trial attorney Molly J. Theobald of the regional Office of the Solicitor in New York arrange settlement agreements.