Company fined after worker injured in trench collapse

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a tens of thousands of dollars in connection to a trench collapse in Portage earlier this year that trapped a worker for hours.

The collapse happened the morning of May 31 along W. Centre Avenue just east of Angling Road. The Portage Department of Public Safety says the utility worker was installing a fiber-optic line in a 10-foot deep trench when the walls fell in. Emergency crews painstakingly dug him out, careful not to further destabilize the trench, and eventually freeing him after about five hours. Firefighters said at the time that he sustained serious injuries, including an injury to his leg.

MIOSHA hit Internattional, Inc. with an initial penalty of $72,460 for a total five violations.

The largest fine was $70,000 for a “willful-serious” violation, with MIOSHA saying Internattional was responsible for workers “engaged in construction activities within an unsupported open excavation greater than 5 feet deep.”

Three “serious” violations yielded a combined penalty of $2,100. MIOSHA said workers were digging with “no visible ladder as a means of entry and exit,” that Internattional didn’t work out an accident prevention program with workers and that work was happening without a first aid-certified person around.

The last violation, classified as “other-than-serious,” carried a $360 fine. That was for failing to report certain required logs.

Internattional got the citations on July 12 and has appealed. The appeal could result in a reduction to the fine, which is common in Michigan. In 2013, Target 8 found that low fines for companies were often reduced by half or more, even in cases where someone died. The state told Target 8 at the time that it tries to educate employers before problems arise and that reducing fines encourages employers to quickly fix problems.

MIOSHA pointed out to News 8 earlier this year that “excavation and trenching continue to be some of the most dangerous construction activities.”

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