Teen Construction Worker’s Trench Death Leads to OSHA Citations

A Houston-area construction contractor has been hit with more than $250,000 in proposed penalties after a teen worker died from a 15-foot trench wall collapsing on him, according to the Labor Department on Monday.

The 18-year-old Hurtado Construction Co. employee was pinned by tons of dirt against a reinforced concrete box and suffered fatal injuries, the agency said.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors cited Hurtado Construction with one willful and five serious violations, such as failing to use an adequate safety protection system, failing to provide a ladder for quick escape, and not having someone available to offer ...