RMS Utilities Inc. is facing $92,819 in penalties after OSHA found that the Colorado company:

• failed to protect employees from cave-in hazards
• failed to keep the spoil pile at least two feet back from the edge of the excavation, and f
• allowed employees to work beneath an excavator bucket

OSHA inspectors who visited an RMS Utilities worksite found three employees working in an unprotected 13-foot-deep excavation, and asked them to exit the trench. Moments after their exit, one of the trench’s walls collapsed.

“In this instance, the inspectors’ quick action removed workers from what could have been a tragic event,” said OSHA Englewood Area Director David Nelson.

The company has been cited for one willful and two serious safety violations.

OSHA’s Trenching and Excavation page provides resources on recognizing and controlling hazards.