Excavation and Supervision Violations Cost Employer $9,800

During an inspection of a worksite, an Occupational Health Officer saw workers working in a trench that wasn’t properly shored and sloped. The employer pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a worker present in a trench more than 1.2 metres deep was protected from cave-ins or sliding material and that all work at a place of employment was sufficiently and competently supervised. The court fined it $9,800 [Empire Foundations Inc., Govt. News Release, May 30, 2014].