PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited a Warwick based construction company for willful violation of workplace safety standards after employees at a Newport site were found installing pipes in an unstable trench 6 to 7 feet deep.
D'Ambra Construction Company Inc. of Warwick faces a $56,000 proposed fine.
OSHA inspectors were initially traveling to another scheduled inspection when they drove by the trench work site located at Broadway and Malbone Road. They found no trench box in use and noticed that the traffic along the road caused loose debris to fall from the trench's wall.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
"The walls of a trench or an excavation can collapse suddenly and without warning, burying workers in soil and debris before they have a chance to react or escape," said Patrick Griffin, OSHA's Rhode Island area director.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.