Company faces $334k in penalties after trench collapse buries employees in Salina

SALINA (KSNT) - A Cheney County contractor is facing $334k in penalties after a worker was buried in a 9-foot-deep trench while working on a plumbing line in Salina.

In January, an employee of Precision Plumbing LLC was buried under dirt and rocks when a trench wall collapsed. The company foreman attempted to dig the worker out but was also buried up to his knees as the trench continued to collapse, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

First responders worked for more than an hour to save the two workers, according to the DOL. DOL Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors later determined the trench had inadequate protection against cave-ins.

According to the DOL, the employer had soil piles and equipment within 2 feet of the edge of the trench. OSHA found the trench violated federal safety regulations.

The site contractor, Multicon Inc, based out of Wichita, allegedly notified the Precision Plumbing foreman of the trench collapse hazard but left the site before Precision Plumbing had corrected the issue.

“Fortunately, first responders rescued two workers when a 9-foot trench collapsed," said OSHA Area Director Todd Underwood in Wichita, Kansas. "This incident is a stark reminder of how soil can shift suddenly and bury a person within seconds. Many other workers are less fortunate. In fact, OSHA investigated the deaths of 39 workers in trench collapses in 2022 alone.”

OSHA issued two willful and six serious violations with proposed penalties of $333,949. Penalties of $14,063 were also proposed for Multicon Inc. for failing to protect employees from cave-in and engulfment hazards.

OSHA has strict trenching standards in trenches deeper than 5 feet. Trenches must be free of standing water, be inspected by a competent person and allow workers to have safe means to enter and exit the trench along with other safety regulations.