A construction company is appealing a fine from California’s OSHA in the wake of a double fatality.
Two Teichert Construction employees were killed In October 2008 after they were sucked into and drowned inside a 30-inch underground pipe they were working in after an excavator hit a nearby eight-inch water pipe, according to the Paso Robles Press.
Cal/OSHA issued a $140,000 fine for two willful citations involving subsurface installations and removal of employees from hazardous areas.
The citation alleges Teichert was aware the workplace presented a hazard but made no reasonable effort to address it.
Cal/OSHA also alleges that the foreman was informed numerous times about the existence of a water line, according to the citation.
