Trench Collapses Have Killed Hundreds of Workers Over the Last Decade

[iluvatar5150]

OSHA penalties are often weak, and OSHA doesn't even cover many state and local employees.

https://www.npr.org/2024/07/20/g-s1-9028/osha-construction-safety-trench-collapse

 

[Vambram]

“There’s no reason, really, that any worker in this country should be dying in a collapsed trench,” said Jordan Barab, who was deputy assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the Obama administration. “All trench collapse deaths are preventable if the employer complies with well-recognized OSHA standards."

I read through the rest of that article. Although I think that there may be situations in which OSHA regulations and penalties are too harsh, I agree that OSHA regulations ought to be followed and obeyed by all companies, employers, and employees. Also, the penalties for failures that result in deaths and/or major injuries should be very, very high and even strongly punitive fines, penalties, and perhaps even criminal charges & sentences in my opinion.

 

[Laodicean60]

I agree that OSHA regulations ought to be followed and obeyed by all companies, employers, and employees.

Laziness and I've violated a lot of OSHA regs to get the job done especially when it came to PPE.

 

[durangodawood]

Im not sure that OSHA will survive the trends in American politics. There's pressure to defund it.

 

[Bob Crowley]

Many years ago I was working as a plumber's labourer. We were digging a fairly deep trench for a large pipe.

The next day I was sent to aother site. And on that day the trench I'd been in the day before collapsed.

A bloke I used to play hockey against lost an eye, fractured skull, broken collarbone and maybe other injuries.

After that they made sure the trench walls were reinforced with sleepers.