A Frisco contractor, Bandera Utility Contractors LLC, has been slapped with a $107,228 fine for not providing sufficient safety measures for workers during trenching operations. According to a report by FOX 4 News, this is not their first offense. Previously in 2022, a 41-year-old employee was fatally injured when a trench collapsed during sewer line repair due to similar safety oversights.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated in July 2024 after receiving a complaint regarding unsafe conditions at a Fort Worth commercial project. OSHA found employees had to work without adequate ladders and without a proper way to quickly escape in case of an emergency. In response to these findings, OSHA's Area Director Timothy Minor stated, "Failing to protect workers during trenching operations is reckless and unacceptable, especially when the risks are widely recognized," as noted by a U.S. Department of Labor release.
Bandera, established in 2015, specializes in the construction of underground utility systems such as water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer systems. The company has now been publicly cited for its continuous pattern of neglect regarding the safety of its workers.
What's next for the beleaguered contractor involves a choice: to comply, to request a meeting, or to contest these findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission within 15 business days from the receipt of the OSHA citations. "Implementing and remembering the three S’s – slope, shore and shield – can save lives and enhance jobsite safety," Minor strongly emphasized, as per FOX 4 News. This enforcement of federal laws is indicative of OSHA's commitment to ensuring that the workplace remains a refuge against the kind of hazards that Bandera seemingly keeps neglecting.
