OSHA Inspection: KATERRA CONSTRUCTION LLC

Issued

Aug 3, 2020

Abate by

Sep 8, 2020

Penalty

Initial $9,639 · Current $9,639

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.651(h)(1): Employees were working in excavations in which there was accumulated water, or excavations in which water was accumulating, and adequate precautions had not been taken to protect employees against the hazards posed by water accumulation:    (a) Katerra Construction LLC at 1570 Grove St., Denver, CO: On and around March 25, 2020, the controlling and exposing employer did not ensure that each employee working inside an excavation that was approximately 18 feet wide and varied from 6.4 to 9.8 feet in depth was protected from cave-in due to water accumulation, in that ground water was accumulating in the bottom of an excavation. This condition exposed employees and subcontractor employees to crushing hazards by excavation wall cave-in.

Issued

Aug 3, 2020

Abate by

Sep 8, 2020

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.652(b)(2):  Maximum allowable slopes, and allowable configurations for sloping and benching systems, were not determined in accordance with the conditions and requirements set forth in Appendices A and B to this subpart:  (a) Katerra Construction LLC at 1570 Grove St., Denver, CO: On and around March 25, 2020, the controlling and exposing employer did not ensure that each employee working inside an excavation, where groundwater had accumulated, that was approximately 18 feet wide and varied from 6.4 to 9.8 feet in depth was protected from cave-in, in that the excavation was sloped at an angle greater than the 34 degree maximum allowable slope for type C soil and that the excavation was benched, which is prohibited by Appendix B for type C soil. This condition exposed employees and subcontractor employees to crushing hazards by excavation wall cave-in.

Issued

Aug 3, 2020

Abate by

Dec 17, 2020

Penalty

Initial $9,639 · Current $3,361 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.651(k)(1): Daily inspections of excavations, the adjacent areas, and protective systems were not made by a competent person for evidence of a situation that could have resulted in possible cave-ins, indications of failure of protective systems:  (a) Katerra Construction LLC at 1570 Grove St., Denver, CO: On and around March 25, 2020, the controlling and exposing employer did not ensure that daily inspections of an excavation that was approximately 18 feet wide and varied from 6.4 to 9.8 feet in depth were made by a competent person for evidence of a situation that could have resulted in a hazardous condition, in that the competent person did not identify that submerged soil must be classified as type C soil and in that the competent persons were not conducting manual soil analysis during excavation inspections at the start of the shift or when conditions affecting the soils classification changed such as soil submerged with water. This condition exposed four employees and five subcontractor employees to crushing hazards by excavation wall cave-in.