VERNON, Conn. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Botticello Inc., saying the Manchester contractor’s failure to provide legally required safeguards contributed to the July 22, 2022, death of an employee buried when an 8-foot-deep trench caved in.
OSHA said in a release the company exposed their worker to deadly hazards as he connected drainage piping at a residential development construction site in Vernon. Previously, in November 2015, OSHA inspectors identified four serious violations related to trenching work by Botticello Inc. at a Stafford worksite.
A trench collapsed at the Laurelwood Farms housing development off Bolton Branch Road, entrapping a man in his 50s, Vernon police Lt. Robert Marra said at the time of the incident.
“This deadly cave-in and the worker’s death should never have happened,” said OSHA Area Director Dale Varney. “After a previous OSHA inspection, Botticello Inc. knew of the dangers of working in an unprotected trench and the need to inspect the trench and ensure required effective cave-in protection was in place before any employee entered the trench." Officials said the company chose to ignore these required safeguards "and now a worker’s family, friends and co-workers are left to grieve.”
OSHA found the company failed to:
- Provide the trench with a protective system to prevent it from collapsing and caving in on workers.
- Have a competent person conduct inspections before and during the work to identify and correct any hazardous conditions before employees entered the trench.
- Ensure the 135-foot-long trench contained sufficient means of egress to allow employees to safely exit.
As a result of the violations and the employer’s prior knowledge, OSHA cited Botticello Inc. for three willful violations and proposed $375,021 in penalties.
The company has 15 days to respond.
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