2 Contractors Fined in Fatal Trench Collapse
A contractor and a subcontractor are being fined a total of $40,535 for violating state safety laws by allowing construction workers to enter an unreinforced trench that collapsed last month in Pacoima, killing one worker and injuring two others.
Investigators from Cal/OSHA concluded that the 10-foot-deep trench was not shored up, sloped or otherwise protected from collapse as state codes require for all trenches deeper than five feet.
The investigators also found that subcontractor Bill Lindon, who was overseeing the work at the site, knew that the trench was unsafe when he sent workers in, said Richard Stephens, a spokesman for the agency. The Brea-based contractor, G&W; Builders, is also being fined $4,450 for allowing work to take place in an unsafe, unreinforced trench and for failing to obtain permit for the excavation, Stephens said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
