A-1 Excavating Inc., of Bloomer, Wisconsin was issued its 15^th violation since 2000 after OSHA conducted an inspection at the company’s Middleton worksite.

Responding to a complaint and acting under the agency’s National Emphasis Program on trenching and excavation, OSHA investigators found A-1 employees working in an unprotected 10-foot deep trench on while installing a sewer line.

"An unprotected trench can bury a worker under thousands of pounds of soil in seconds and cause severe or fatal injuries," said Ann Grevenkamp, OSHA's area director in Madison. "Since 2000, OSHA has cited A-1 Excavating 15 times for violating federal trenching standards. The company knows that every trench deeper than 5 feet must have cave-in protection."

Proposed Penalties: $69,300.