The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed more than $64,000 in penalty fines for an Auburn-based contractor for violations along a construction site on Frederick Road in Opelika.
OSHA proposed $64,350 for two citations against D&J Enterprises Inc., a construction and contracting firm, on March 14. According to OSHA documents, one citation was a repeat offense after the company settled an October 2015 inspection that found similarly hazardous conditions.
The firm is based in Auburn and was installing water and sewer lines along Frederick Road when the citations were issued. According to the citations, D&J did not properly mitigate cave-in hazards while digging a trench.
"On or about Jan. 14, 2016, the employer exposed employees to cave-in hazards in that employees were allowed to work inside of a trench," the citation reads. "The employer had not complied with the standard in that employees were not protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system and the excavation was sloped at an angle (that was too steep)."
D&J won the contract to install the water, sewer, power and information technologies infrastructure for Auburn University's Health Sciences Sector, home to the planned Harrison School of Pharmacy pharmaceutical research building and the new School of Nursing at the corner South Donahue and Lem Morrison Drives.
D&J did not respond to requests for comment.
"It concerns us that, after settling an October 2015 inspection that found dangerous trench hazards, D&J Enterprises continues to put workers at risk of serious injury or death," Roesler said. "The employer has the responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthful job site."
According to Lindsay Williams, a spokesperson for OSHA's 4th Region, D&J had until Thursday, March 24, to comply with the violations or schedule to meet with OSHA to determine an abatement or payment schedule.
Williams said D&J scheduled an informal conference with OSHA by the deadline.
"The offenses are very serious, so the dollar amount reflects that," Williams said. "It's a pretty serious amount. Cave-ins and trench collapses are very deadly. If you can imagine, you're 5 or 10 feet down in a hole and the sides collapse, you're instantly buried. A lot of times that results in death."
According to Williams, D&J also did not provide proper training and education for workers to avoid trench cave-ins and collapses.
"You can dig a trench or hole out a certain way that prevents the soil from collapsing," Williams said.
According to University's February construction update, the Health Sciences Sector infrastructure project contracted to D&J Enterprises is 16 percent complete.
Bidding for the contract's general works package will begin in April. The projected cost for the total project is $6 million.
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